MANILA, Philippines — Still untouched, still unmatched.
Host University of the Philippines waxed hot late to tame Santo Tomas, 81-70, and zero-in on a first-round sweep in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Maroons unleashed a staggering 21-4 rally bridging the third and fourth quarters to flip a 58-61 deficit to a 79-65 gap on their way to a 6-0 record with all of their wins coming in double digits to issue a strong statement to the rest of the field.
But more than that, UP set the red carpet clean, dazzling and glittering for a highly anticipated rematch with La Salle this Sunday at the MOA Arena to end the first round.
The Maroons did it behind a scattered attack led by Harold Alarcon with 16 points highlighted by back-to-back fadeaways to fend off any comeback attempt by the Tigers.
Francis Lopez stuffed the stats sheet with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks while Terrence Fortea and Gerry Abadiano chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Quentin Millora-Brown and Janjan Felicilda added eight points each to make up for the absence of ace floor general JD Cagulangan, who was under the weather but should be ready for the main event against the Archers.
“This is a tough UST team, a much better team from last season. Kudos to them. We’re just fortunate in the end that we’re able to hold them down,” said deputy mentor Christian Luanzon.
UP beat Ateneo, 77-61, University of the East, 81-71, National U, 89-62, Far Eastern U, 69-58, and Adamson, 69-57, but was caught napping by the capable Santo Tomas squad in the opening salvo. The Maroons awoke in time.