SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – The UP Fighting Maroons sustained their blazing run in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament as they overpowered the NU Bulldogs, 84-76, at the start of the second round on Tuesday, April 12 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
This time it was Carl Tamayo who propelled the Fighting Maroons to their seventh straight victory as he finished with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds on an efficient 8-of-13 clip from the field.
Meanwhile, Ricci Rivero and Zav Lucero, the league’s leading scorer, tallied 16 points apiece for UP, which remained at solo second with a 7-1 record.
The Fighting Maroons wasted little time in flexing their dominance over the Bulldogs as they quickly put up a double-digit lead, 23-11, off a Rivero three-pointer with 2:20 to play in the opening period.
UP then kept its foot on the gas to push its lead to its largest at 15 points, 38-23, midway through the second quarter.
Tamayo led the Fighting Maroons’ charge early in the game, tallying 16 points and 7 rebounds in the first two quarters alone.
With UP still on top by 12 in the opening minutes of the third period, 47-35, NU’s offense suddenly came alive as it unleashed a 23-11 rally to tie the game at 58-all.
Luckily for the Fighting Maroons, a crucial 10-0 blast in the fourth and final frame stretched their lead back to double figures, 78-66, which crushed any hopes of a Bulldogs comeback with only 4 minutes remaining in the ball game.
“We started strong in the first quarter,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
“But in the third quarter, our turnovers piled up so we have to be consistent and we need to see what errors to improve on.”
“Definitely, coming from this win, there are still a lot of things that we can learn from,” he added.
John Lloyd Clemente had a team-high 18 points for NU, which saw its two-game winning streak come to an end to drop to 4-4 in the team standings.
Reyland Torres and Shaun Ildefonso also added 15 and 11 markers, respectively, for the Bulldogs.
UP takes on the FEU Tamaraws, while NU clashes with the Adamson Soaring Falcons when UAAP action resumes on Tuesday, April 19, following the Holy Week break.
The Scores
UP 84 – Tamayo 21, Rivero 16, Lucero 16, Cagulangan 7, Diouf 7, Alarcon 5, Webb 5, Fortea 4, Abadiano 3, Spencer 0, Catapusan 0.
NU 76 – Clemente 18, Torres 15, Ildefonso 11, Malonzo 9, Minerva 8, Felicilda 5, Gaye 4, Joson 2, Figueroa 2, Manansala 2, Tibayan 0, Enriquez 0, Mahinay 0.
Quarters: 26-14, 42-35, 62-58, 84-76.
– Rappler.com
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