Rey Remogat fired 18 of his 21 points in the first half to power the University of the Philippines to a commanding 92-75 win over University of the East, snapping its early slump in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Remogat, who transferred from the Red Warriors to the Fighting Maroons last year, also tallied 11 assists to complete a double-double, on top of seven rebounds and two steals.
The Fighting Maroons finally broke through after back-to-back losses to University of Santo Tomas and Adamson University—a much-needed victory to breathe life into their title defense.
Touted as the heir apparent to Season 87 Finals MVP JD Cagulangan, Remogat’s breakout game was a welcome sight for UP after the 21-year-old guard struggled in his first two outings, averaging just 2.5 points on 20-percent shooting with 2.0 assists, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.0 turnovers.
“Wala naman gigil kasi yun nga, galing kami sa dalawang beses na pagkatalo. Yung gigil kasi, pwede mangyari na panget or maganda. Siguro, mas nag-focus lang ako sa dapat ko gawin as a point guard and hindi ko ginawang basis yung UE para maging maganda yung laro ko,” said Remogat.
(“I wasn’t really forcing things, even though we were coming off back-to-back losses. Playing with too much emotion can either go bad or good. I just chose to focus on what I needed to do as a point guard, and I didn’t use the fact that it was UE as motivation to play well.”)
After UE jumped to a 17-9 lead, the shifty guard erupted, drilling five triples for 18 first-half points that turned the tide and buried his former squad in a 53-36 halftime hole.
UP carried that momentum into the third quarter, extending the lead to 20 as Remogat and Mark Belmonte buried back-to-back threes, Miguel Palanca scored inside, and Gerry Abadiano sank three free throws to build a 74-54 cushion heading into the final frame.
UE’s hopes of mounting a comeback were crushed in the fourth when UP unleashed an 11-3 run capped by a thunderous tomahawk dunk from Nigerian forward Francis Nnoruka, who stretched the margin to a game-high 28 points, 85-57, sealing the rout.
“For me, of course, yung mga ganitong panalo would always feel positive, especially if it’s our first win. For me, more than the win, it’s how we played this game today. It’s understanding that we need each other to achieve something big,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Nnoruka backed up Remogat with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Gani Stevens also delivered a double-double with 14 points—all in the second half—alongside 10 rebounds and one assist.
Abadiano finished with 11 points and two rebounds, Palanca had eight points, seven rebounds, and one block, while Jacob Bayla contributed seven points, six assists, three rebounds, three steals, and one block.
UP will try to build on this breakthrough when it faces National University on Saturday, October 4, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Meanwhile, UE stumbled to its ninth consecutive loss since last season, dropping to 0-3—its worst start to a UAAP men’s basketball campaign since going winless in Season 84.
Nigerian center Precious Momowei registered 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks, while Wello Linglingo also had 18 points but struggled at 5-of-17 shooting, to go with six rebounds and two steals.
Team captain John Abate added 15 points, six assists, four steals, and three rebounds, while Jhon Jimenez chipped in 10 points and four boards.
The Red Warriors will look to halt their skid when they battle the UST Growling Tigers on the same date and venue.
The Scores:
UP (92) – Remogat 21, Nnoruka 14, Stevens 14, Abadiano 11, Palanca 8, Bayla 7, Belmonte 6, Felicilda 3, Alarcon 2, Torres 2, Andres 2, Briones 2, Fortea 0, Alter 0, Coronel 0, Yniguez 0.
UE (75) – Momowei 18, Lingolingo 18, Abate 15, Jimenez 10, Datumalim 5, Mulingtapang 3, Tañedo 2, Caoile 2, Robles 2, Cruz-Dumont 0, Lagat 0, Malaga 0.
Quarterscores: 27-20, 53-36, 74-54, 92-75
