UP dominates Ateneo, hands Tab Baldwin his worst loss

UP Fighting Maroons’ Francis Lopez during a UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball game against Ateneo Blue Eagles. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

University of the Philippines  reasserted its dominance against rival Ateneo in the latest edition of the “Battle of Katipunan” with a 75-47 shellacking in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The semifinal-bound Fighting Maroons have drawn up a third-consecutive victory to improve to a 9-1 standing at the No. 2 spot below the defending champion La Salle, both of which have an inside track to gain a twice-to-beat incentive.

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SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 87 basketball

Francis Lopez shone for UP with 20 points and five rebounds as one-and-done big man Quentin Millora-Brown provided a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in the worst loss of Blue Eagle coach Tab Baldwin in the league.

“Last game against Adamson, coach Gold [Monteverde] spoke to me and he was holding the stats. I scored two points and he called me and he was like, this is exactly what he said ‘Wag mawawalan ng loob’ that right there just boosted me up for the [this] game and I’m just really glad that we got this win,” Lopez, an Ateneo product, said.

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The  BlueEagles looked like they came in prepared for what UP had to offer and created a short-lived 10-4 lead in the opening frame. But it was all downhill from there as the Maroons slowly built a lead of their own and at the half enjoyed an 11-point lead, 39-28.

READ: Culture faces test as UP rides Adamson rout into Ateneo duel

“For me, we started out wel. I guess I could say we adapted to the changing defense of Ateneo a while ago. The team was able to adapt right away. We were able to move the ball and at the same time, we were able to get the ball inside which you know, one of our strengths also. But then, I would say that we—as we go along the season playing as a team, we’re improving in chemistry,” Monteverde said.

UP Fighting Maroons’ Quentin Millora-Brown during a UAAP Season 87
men’s basketball game against Ateneo Blue Eagles. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

UP, which now has a four-game win streak against Ateneo dating back to the second round and semifinals of Season 86, never eased off the pedal from then on and came out at halftime with a blistering 15-0 run to open the third while holding the Blue Eagles to just 12.

The Maroon defense restricted the Blue Eagles to just 26.9 percent shooting while the State U had twice as much contribution from the bench compared to Ateneo, 43-26.

READ: Maroons look to fix string of slow starts ahead of ‘Battle of Katipunan’

Jacob Bayla drained a layup but missed his freebie, 1:11 left in regulation, for the biggest lead of the game, 75-45.

Now with back-to-back losses, Ateneo neared missing a Final Four appearance in more than a decade as no Eagle breached twin-digits. Chris Koon finished with nine points, Shawn Tuano 8, Andrew Bongo seven and six rebounds and Jared Bahay six.

Ayodeji Balogun and Kristian Porter each had four points with the latter adding 10 rebounds as the BLue Eagles dropped to a 3-8 standing.

UP can further its cause against another skidding crew in National University on Sunday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion as Ateneo looks to break the streak against Far Eastern University on November 9 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.