MANILA, Philippines – The UP Fighting Maroons gutted a 72-65 win over the NU Bulldogs as the FilOil Preseason Cup continued in San Juan on Saturday, May 27.
Harold Alarcon impressed anew as one of the loaded Maroons’ new leading scoring options with 16 points 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in just 22 minutes as UP rose to a 5-2 record in the 20-team tournament.
Reigning UAAP MVP Malick Diouf tallied 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in just 20 minutes as six other Maroons scored at least 5 in the close win that sent NU down a 3-2 slate.
Patrick Yu tied Alarcon in the loss with a game-high 16 points off the bench, while lead Bulldog playmaker Kean Baclaan was held scoreless in 17 minutes after averaging 16.0 points in less than 20 minutes per game heading to Saturday’s affair.
Meanwhile, the CSB Blazers also notched a 5-2 record over at the NCAA bracket after stealing a 96-87 win over the San Beda Red Lions, thanks to a 26-13 fourth quarter pullaway.
CSB gunners Robi Nayve and Migs Oczon led the thrilling turnaround with 25 and 24 points, respectively, with the latter also tallying 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
Former FEU standout Bryan Sajonia led the crushing collapse with 21 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep with 8 boards and 2 steals, as his new team slid to a 2-4 slate.
Jacob Cortez spearheaded the bench mob in the loss with 17 points, while Yukien Andrada scored 13 off a paltry 4-of-17 clip and 1-of-8 from deep.
San Sebastian outguns JRU; Mapua routs winless Arellano
In the other games of the quadruple-header, the Mapua Cardinals stayed rolling after pummeling the winless Arellano Chiefs, 92-76.
Returnee guard Clint Escamis flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, while John Kobe Dalisay and Marc Cyrus Cuenco led the way in scoring with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Veteran big man Warren Bonifacio also added 16 points, 8 boards, and 6 dimes as Mapua rose to a 4-2 record.
Jude Bagay and Lars Christian Sunga paced Arellano’s descent to a 0-6 slate with 18 and 16 points, respectively.
Finally, the San Sebastian Stags edged fellow NCAA bracket cellar-dwellers JRU Heavy Bombers, 91-83.
Reggz Albert Gabay sparked up a game-high 23 points off the bench on a 5-of-11 clip from three as San Sebastian rose to a 2-4 record, while JRU fell to 1-4.
Joshua Guiab, who was scoreless for JRU in the tournament prior to Saturday’s game, erupted for 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the losing effort. – Rappler.com
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.