Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons edged out the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 56-52, in the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Jett Manuel paced UP with 15 markers.
There was little to separate both sides headed into the payoff period.
The Maroons built a 51-44 cushion through an 8-1 run, but the Blue Eagles were able to strike back and reduce the deficit to 51-50 with 1:37 left to play.
With both teams struggling to put points on the board, it was UP’s Gelo Vito who answered the call.
Manuel found Vito wide open in the right corner, who duly drained a dagger three point bucket with 16.4 ticks left to play to give them a 54-50 advantage.
Ateneo were quickly able to score a bucket in the succeeding possession, but Manuel buried a pair of free throws to ice the game.
Adrian Wong and Chibueze Ikeh led Ateneo with 10 points apiece.
After the game, Maroons head coach Bo Perasol praised his team for closing out the game and proving they were better than their previous standing showed.
“We really believe that we are better than 1-6,” Perasol said. “I really thought that if we could have closed out games just like we did today, we would have won a couple more games.”
Perasol admitted that ending a seven-year losing skid against Ateneo served as an added motivation for the Fighting Maroons.
“We are not going to wait another seven years just to beat Ateneo again,” Perasol added.
The UP Fighting Maroons look to improve on their 2-6 win-loss slate when they battle the Adamson Soaring Falcons on October 12 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Ateneo will also play the Falcons on October 16 at The Arena in San Juan.
