By Maxine Louise Lagman
MANILA, Philippines – University of the Philippines (UP) and Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) exhibited their winning moves to overcome their opponents in the UAAP Season 85 Men’s Basketball Tournament on November 17, Wednesday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
UP vanquished Far Eastern University (FEU), 73-59, and improved to a 10-1 win-loss record for the top spot.
The Fighting Maroons saw them up by 15 points in the first quarter, and extended that lead by as much as 21 points, 71-50 off of a James Spencer triple, 1:52 left in the game.
“After a long break, at least we started well tong game na to. We started strong. Especially sa defense namin nung first part, we really started strong din,” UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Spencer paced UP with a career-high 19 points banked on four treys, while big man Malick Diouf had a double-double record of 11 markers and 20 rebounds, along with three assists.
Tamaraws Kyle Bautista had 12 points, while Cholo Anonueva chipped in 10 markers and four boards as FEU suffered from their second consecutive loss, and dropped to a 4-7 slate.
In the last game of the day, Ateneo trampled over hapless University of Santo Tomas (UST), 72-55.
The Blue Eagles unleashed their wrath in the third quarter with a 27-10 run to lead by as much as 62-37. The Growling Tigers failed to convert more baskets to catch up, handing Ateneo another win in the league.
BJ Andrade had 14 points, while Ange Kouame added another 14 markers on top of seven rebounds and three blocks. With the win, Ateneo improved to a 7-3 slate for second.
On the other hand, UST suffered their nine-game losing streak for a 1-9 record with Nic Cabanero as the Growling Tigers’ lone biggest contributor with 26 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
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