Manuel leads late as UP earns first win

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Thanks to a clutch jumper and free throws by captain Jett Manuel, the UP Fighting Maroons earned their first win of UAAP Season 79 by defeating the still-winless UE Red Warriors, 75-71, on Wednesday, September 21, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The win improved the record of UP to 1-3, while UE dropped to 0-4 with only 3 games remaining for each team in the first round.

Paul Desiderio led UP with 17 points and 10 boards, while Manuel added 17 points and 4 rebounds. Dave Moralde also played well with 13 points and 5 boards.

UE was led by the 15 points and 6 rebounds of Mark Olayon. Bon Batiller had 14 points on 3-of-10 shooting.

The game was tied with a little over a minute to go when Manuel pulled up at the free throw line for a tough, go-ahead jumper, 71-69. After a few empty possessions for both teams, Manuel was then fouled with 26.9 seconds left and hit both free throws to make it a two-possession game.

Olayon then missed a 3-ball from the corner, leading to a trip to the free throw line for Jerson Prado who converted both charities and sealed the contest. – Rappler.com

– Rappler.com