7 October 2018
By Maxine Louise Lagman
Manila, Philippines – There is nowhere to go but UP for the University of the Philippines after stunning the National University, 89-88, on Sunday in the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
State U showed a much-needed resilience and grittiness to fight off the surging National U, which gave them a comfortable cushion all throughout the game and even led by as much as 18 points in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs took on a late rally with brothers Dave and Shaun Ildefonso leading the pack for a 5-0 run and inched the scores to 88-89.
The Maroons and Bulldogs took turns attempting to make a basket, but no team was able to score in the last minute of the game.
Jun Manzo and Javi Gomez De Liano had a chance to easily seal the deal in the free throw line, but all four of their attempts missed the basket, leaving them still with a point ahead.
Lucky for the Maroons, time ran out as Shaun Ildefonso missed his chance to put them ahead as time ran out.
Nigerian big man Bright Akhuetie paved the way for UP with a double-double of 21 points and 20 rebounds.
Brothers Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano proved to be a powerful force after finishing with big numbers. Juan had 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, while Javi added 19 markers, eight boards and four assists.
Team captain Paul Desiderio added 14 points for the win as UP climbed to a 3-3 slate for a share of fourth spot in the tournament.
Dave Ildefonso led NU with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists, while JV Gallego had 13 points, three rebounds and four asissists as they suffered their fifth straight loss in the tournament and dropped to a 1-5 slate.
The Scores:
UP 89 – Akhuetie 21, Gomez de Liano Ju 20, Gomez de Liano Ja 19, Desiderio 14, Manzo 8, Dario 6, Prado 1, Jaboneta 0, Murrell 0, Gozum 0, Lim 0
NU 88 – Ildefonso D 20, Sinclair 13, Gallego 13, Ildefonso S 12, Gaye 11, Clemente 9, RIke 4, Diputado 3, Morido 2, Yu 1, Joson 0, Aquino 0, Malonzo 0, Tibayan 0, Galinato 0
QUARTER SCORES: 26-20, 47-40, 70-62, 89-88
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