SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP cardiac kings UP Fighting Maroons proved their endgame mastery once again as they turned back Season 85’s Cinderella team UE Red Warriors, 84-77, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, October 19.
Former NU high school stars Terrence Fortea, Carl Tamayo, and Gerry Abadiano led the way like old times under longtime head coach Goldwin Monteverde with 13 points each, as Tamayo added 7 rebounds and 4 steals to his line.
It was a game of runs through a thrilling third quarter as UP countered UE’s 13-1 flurry to a 41-38 halftime lead with a 13-2 spurt capped by an Abadiano triple for the 53-48 lead midway through the period. The Red Warriors, however, kept it close and entered the final frame just down 3, 56-59.
In the fourth, UP looked headed for its first endgame in a long while where it actually held a comfortable lead in the clutch after a 10-2 start paved the way for a 79-69 separation in the final minute.
While all hope looked lost for the Red Warriors, CJ Payawal then came out of nowhere to drill back-to-back triples to slash their deficit to just 4, 75-79, with 29.8 seconds left. As Abadiano split his charities with 15.3 ticks left, Kyle Paranada had a golden opportunity to get even closer after getting fouled.
However, the sophomore sniper, who is shooting 89% from the free throw line this season, uncharacteristically blanked his trip at the stripe, leading to UP controlling the momentum with its own makes from the line to set the final score.
“Started slow again. We really need to work on our inconsistency,” rued Monteverde. “I think, with the way we started defensively, UE got a lot of three-pointers in the first half. We have to pay attention to that in our upcoming games. In the fourth quarter, we defended much better.”
Payawal led all scorers in the loss with a career-high 21 points off the bench, built off a 5-of-7 clip from three, while veteran guard Nikko Paranada scored 20 on 7-of-14 shooting plus 5 assists and 3 rebounds.
Reigning Collegiate Press Corps Player of the Week Luis Villegas, meanwhile, scattered a 10-point, 10-board double-double with 4 dimes, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in the loss.
UP now aims to improve on its 5-1 slate with a first-round ender match against the freefalling UST Growling Tigers on Saturday, October 22, 1 pm, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Meanwhile, 3-3 UE shoots to slay another tournament giant in the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Sunday, October 23, 1 pm, at the same venue.
The Scores
UP 84 – Tamayo 13, Fortea 13, Abadiano 13, Diouf 8, Spencer 7, Lucero 7, Gonzales 7, Calimag 5, Galinato 4, Ramos 3, Alarcon 2, Lina 2, Torculas 0.
UE 77 – Payawal 21, N. Paranada 20, Villegas 10, Pagsanjan 9, K. Paranada 9, Stevens 3, Antiporda 3, Sawat 2, Beltran 0, Alcantara 0, Remogat 0.
Quarters: 18-13, 38-41, 59-56, 84-77.
– Rappler.com
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