Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 12) – The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons stretched their winning streak to seven after beating the National University Bulldogs, 84-76, in the first game of the second round of eliminations on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Rookie Carl Tamayo produced a double-double performance against his high school alma mater with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals to keep a tight hold of the second spot with 7-1.
The Maroons led throughout the game until Bulldogs guard Reyland Torres sank a triple late in the third quarter to tie the game at 58-all, bouncing back from a deficit that went as high as 15 points.
But UP cagers Tamayo, Ricci Rivero, Joel Cagulangan, and Zavier Lucero commanded a scoring run late in the fourth period to establish another double-digit lead, 78-66, with 3:55 remaining in the contest.
“We started strong in the first quarter. But in the third quarter, our turnovers piled up so we have to be consistent and we need to see what errors to improve on. Definitely, coming from this win, there are still a lot of things that we can learn from,” Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde said in the post-game.
John Lloyd Clemente carried the Bulldogs with 18 points while Torres added 15 markers as they still sit in fourth place with a 4-4 slate.
UP will shoot for its eighth victory in a row against Far Eastern University Tamaraws on April 19 at 10 a.m. while NU looks to bounce back against Adamson University Soaring Falcons on the same day at 7 p.m.
The Scores:
UP 84 – Tamayo 21, Rivero 16, Lucero 16, Cagulangan 7, Diouf 7, Alarcon 5, Webb 5, Fortea 4, Abadiano 3, Spencer 0, Catapusan 0.
NU 76 – Clemente 18, Torres 15, Ildefonso 11, Malonzo 9, Minerva 8, Felicilda 5, Gaye 4, Joson 2, Figueroa 2, Manansala 2, Tibayan 0, Enriquez 0, Mahinay 0.
Quarterscores: 26-14, 42-35, 62-58, 84-76.
