UAAP: UP fends off Ateneo in rematch

MANILA, Philippines — Gerry Abadiano provided stability late as University of the Philippines staved off a late scare by defending champion Ateneo, 65-60, to tighten its grip on the lead in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday before a crowd of 17,406 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Abadiano rose to the occasion for the Fighting Maroons with 22 points, three rebounds, and two assists especially after the Fighting Maroons blew a 13-point lead.

“It was a total team effort. That’s what we lacked during our first-round loss to Ateneo and it hurt us. Before this game, we talked about giving our all-out effort no matter what happens inside the court. We’re thankful that we got the win today,” said Abadiano in Filipino.

Ateneo unleashed a 12-0 run behind Kai Ballungay and Jared Brown, whose jumper tied the game at 54 with 5:55 remaining.

But Abadiano, Harold Alarcon and Francis Lopez responded down the stretch with key baskets to give UP a 63-57 cushion with 45.3 seconds remaining. Abadiano then sealed the game with a pair of free throws after a Mason Amos triple pulled the Eagles within three.

“It took a while for us to get our rhythm offensively, we were a little bit in a hurry in the first quarter but the good thing, our defense held up yung Ateneo and I felt, in the end, we were more patient offensively, we were really executing our offense and at least we were able to come back,” said UP coach Goldwin Monteverde, whose squad avenged a 99-89 overtime loss last week to improve to 8-1.

Reigning MVP Malick Diouf notched a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds with three steals and two blocks to boot while Lopez scattered 10 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Alarcon also scored 10 points to go with four rebounds, and three assists.

UP missed CJ Cansino due to flu and JD Cagulangan, who is dealing with a hamstring injury he sustained last game. Terrence Fortea returned from a right knee injury after missing the first eight games and made an immediate impact with seven points in 10 minutes of action.

Ateneo dropped to a 4-5 record with its second straight loss, falling to a tie with Adamson in fourth place.

Brown played his best game of the season with 18 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting. Obasa had 11 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks. Amos had 10 points, while Ballungay had seven points and nine rebounds.

Chris Koon was scoreless after missing all of his 10 shots. He had five rebounds and four assists.

The Scores:

UP (65) – Abadiano 22, Alarcon 10, Diouf 10, Lopez 10, Fortea 7, Felicilda 4, Torculas 2, Alter 0, Belmonte 0, Torres 0.

Ateneo (60) – Brown 18, Obasa 11, Amos 10, Quitevis 8, Ballungay 7, Credo 3, Espinosa 2, Chiu 1, Koon 0, Gomez 0, Tuano 0, Nieto 0, Lazaro 0, Celis 0.

Quarterscores: 11-11, 32-30, 49-39, 65-60