MANILA, Philippines – UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament early title favorite UP kicked off another contention bid in dominant fashion, powering past rival Ateneo in the Battle of Katipunan, 77-61, at the packed Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, September 7.
Now playing in his final season, UP local hero JD Cagulangan flexed his all-around mastery of the collegiate game, erupting for a near triple-double of 17 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds, plus 2 steals, while high-flying ace Francis Lopez scored 14 on 3-of-3 shooting and 8-of-13 from the line.
Touted one-and-done giant Quentin Millora-Brown made great use of his 6-foot-10 frame in a 24-minute debut, tallying 7 points and a massive 17-board total with 2 blocks, and proving himself extremely useful in grind-out situations like the opening game’s first half.
Scrapping their way to a hard-earned 40-30 lead after the first two quarters that saw 36 combined fouls, the Maroons turned up the heat to begin the second half with a telling 10-2 run for a peak 18-point separation, 50-32, off a Jacob Bayla layup with 7:05 left in the period and never looked back.
Although Joshua Lazaro and former UP recruit Jared Bahay gave their all to help Ateneo back within 8, 54-62, halfway through the fourth, the bottom fell out anew from the Eagles as Lopez captivated the crowd with a pair of tomahawk jams in the last two minutes to drive the dagger home for good.
Bahay, the former Cebu high school star who was relentlessly booed by UP fans for much of the first quarter due to his high-profile transfer from the Maroons to Ateneo, shook off early jitters and finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in just 20 minutes of action off the bench.
Lazaro chipped in an 11-point, 11-board double-double in 23 minutes also off the bench, while Shawn Tuano also scored 11.
Blue Eagles co-captain Chris Koon caught bad luck in his first game of the season as he exited with an apparent left ankle sprain at the 3:11 mark of the second quarter and never returned, posting just 3 points in 7 minutes.
UP 77 – Cagulangan 17, Lopez 14, Fortea 8, Millora-Brown 7, Bayla 7, Ududo 7, Alarcon 6, Abadiano 5, Belmonte 4, Torres 2, Felicilda 0, Stevens 0, Briones 0, Alter 0.
Ateneo 61 – Bahay 13, Lazaro 11, Tuano 11, Espina 7, Espinosa 4, Balogun 4, Porter 3, Gamber 3, Koon 3, Bongo 2, Quitevis 0, Ong 0, Edu 0.
Quarters: 17-16, 40-30, 58-45, 77-61.
– Rappler.com
