Francis Nnoruka and Rey Remogat spearheaded a third-quarter surge that stunned previously unbeaten Ateneo de Manila University, powering the University of the Philippines to an 83-69 victory in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Fighting Maroons were clinging to a slim two-point lead at halftime before the Remogat-Nnoruka tandem took control in the third frame.
Nnoruka exploded for 15 points in that quarter alone, while Remogat chipped in seven as UP outscored Ateneo, 24-11, to build a commanding 64-49 advantage heading into the final period.
“Well, for me, iyong preparation namin for this game lagi naming pinaguusapan it’s just one part of it,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde. “But you know, transferring it to play the way yung players execute our offense at the same time play as a team with defensively.
“I think yun yung malaking pagbabago namin and sa akin siguro, we just have to keep it up lang.”
(“Well, for me, we always talk about our preparation for games, but that’s just one part. The real change is seeing the players actually execute our offense while also playing as a team on defense. I think that’s the big difference for us, and for me, we just have to keep it up.”)
The Fighting Maroons extended their winning streak to three, climbing to 3-2 for solo fourth place. They also continued their mastery of Ateneo, beating the Blue Eagles for the fifth straight time dating back to the second round of Season 86.
Nnoruka finished with a monster stat line of 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, nine rebounds, four steals, and a block.
“For me siguro, blessed lang din talaga ako kasi ayun nga hindi naman biro yung mga pinagdaanan namin as a team noong first two games,” said Remogat, who tallied 20 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals.
“So, siguro mas pinagigihan lang namin as a team and mas nagfocus kami sa growth namin and mas tinama lang namin yung mga dapat naming itama sa team.”
(“For me, I feel really blessed because the first two games were tough for us as a team. So we just worked harder, focused more on our growth, and corrected the things we needed to fix.”)
However, Remogat’s night ended on a sour note after being ejected late in the game. He was slapped with his second unsportsmanlike foul with 7.9 seconds left for trying to stop an Ian Espinosa fastbreak. His first came at the 8:16 mark of the second quarter on Josh Lazaro.
Both infractions were classified under Criteria 1, or “contact with an opponent not legitimately attempting to directly play the ball.”
Harold Alarcon also contributed 17 points, 15 of which came in the first half, helping UP erase a 30-23 Ateneo advantage early in the game.
The Fighting Maroons will aim for a fourth straight win when they face Far Eastern University on Sunday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Ateneo, meanwhile, saw its perfect run end as it slipped to 4-1. The Blue Eagles still hold the top spot but now share it with National University.
The loss came just days after their dramatic 81-74 victory over archrival De La Salle, a game where they nearly squandered a 33-point lead.
Ateneo will try to bounce back when it hosts the University of Santo Tomas on Saturday at its home court in Katipunan.
Shawn Tuano paced Ateneo with 17 points but converted only 5-of-10 free throws, while Kymani Ladi scored 15 on 15 attempts.
The Scores:
UP (83) – Nnoruka 28, Remogat 20, Alarcon 17, Stevens 6, Yniguez 6, Abadiano 3, Torres 3, Bayla 0, Fortea 0, Palanca 0, Briones 0, Alter 0.
Ateneo (69) – Tuano 17, Ladi 15, Bahay 9, Adili 8, Espinosa 7, Ramos 6, Escobar 4, Lazo 3, Bongo 0, Espina 0, Fjellvang 0.
Quarterscores: 18-17, 40-38, 64-49, 83-69.
