SUMMARY
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UP claims last UAAP title berth
UP clinched the last UAAP championship berth as the Fighting Maroons stormed back from a double-digit deficit to stun the La Salle Green Archers, 78-74, in their knockout UAAP Final Four match on Friday, May 6 at the Mall of Asia.
The Maroons – who leaned on the clutch plays of rookie Carl Tamayo in the final stretch – will face the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles in the best-of-three finals starting Sunday, May 8.
(READ: UP denies La Salle semis sweep, sets up Battle of Katipunan finals)
(SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball finals)
Preview
Go big or go home.
The La Salle Green Archers and the UP Fighting Maroons face off anew in a do-or-die Final Four match on Friday, May 6, for the right to face the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball finals.
With their season on the line in Game 1, the third-seeded Green Archers managed to live another day as they escaped the twice-to-beat Fighting Maroons, 83-80, thanks to the heroics of blue-chip transferee Evan Nelle and graduating center Justine Baltazar.
In only his first Final Four game in the UAAP, the former San Beda Red Lion Nelle torched the Fighting Maroons with a UAAP career-high 26 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, to go along with 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.
Baltazar, meanwhile, delivered a huge double-double of 15 points and 18 rebounds to help the Green Archers force a winner-take-all for a finals berth.
On the other side, UP, which snapped Ateneo’s 39-game winning streak on the final day of the elimination round, failed to carry its winning momentum into the Final Four and was held by La Salle to a dismal 29% clip from the field in Game 1.
Malick Diouf was the lone bright spot for the Fighting Maroons in the losing effort as he came up with his own monster double-double of 18 points and 20 rebounds.
UP star Ricci Rivero also dropped 18 points, but finished the game on a poor 1-of-10 shooting from three-point land.
As both powerhouse teams clash once again at the Mall of Asia Arena, will La Salle overcome the twice-to-beat disadvantage and set up a finals date with rival Ateneo or will UP rebound from its Game 1 loss and arrange another Battle of Katipunan finals?
Game time is 6 pm.
– Rappler.com
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