FilOil: UP downs JRU to nail 1st win

MANILA, Philippines— University of the Philippines has virtually a new team following the graduation of its core.

Going into the game winless, a new player carried the Fighting Maroons to their first win of the tournament.

Joseph Marata fired 17 points propel the Fighting Maroons to a 75-63 victory over Jose Rizal University in the 2013 FilOil Flying V Premier Cup Wednesday, May 29.

Holding a slim one point lead early in the fourth quarter, the Diliman-based dribblers dropped a telling 8-0 run capped by a Marata triple, 68-59 to pull away for good.

“We are virtually a new team,” said UP coach Ricky Dandan. “What we are going through is a process and hopefully this win can propel us to better things.”

It was a nip-and-tuck game in the first three quarters with the Fighting Maroons taking the lead at halftime, 36-32 behind Marata and Julius Wong.

In the third canto, JRU found an unlikely hero in Ervin Grospe who scored six straight points in the Heavy Bombers’ 6-0 run to tie the game at 49-49.

The cagers from Shaw Boulevard could not sustain the momentum though as they yielded the lead back to UP heading into the payoff period.

“Tata (Marata) has Maroon pride and he’s going to be there (for us) and we just have to find sources. Tata will be a marked man in the UAAP,” quipped Dandan of Marata, who donned the colors of UPIS in high school but suited up for La Salle before going back to UP.

Wong scored back-to-back layups with under two minutes to go to douse water in JRU’s last-ditch effort, 74-61.

“I still feel different but it feels good to be back,” added Marata, son of the late PBA player Ric-Ric.

The Heavy Bombers, who slid to 1-6 (win-loss record) were led by the 11 and 10 points of Paolo Pontejos and Grospe, respectively.

Wong and burly center Raul Soyud chipped in 17 and 16 markers, respectively, for UP, who won its first win against six defeats (1-6.) – Rappler.com