The defending champions UP Fighting Maroons claimed victory in the first Battle of Katipunan, against the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in an overtime game, 76-71, in the UAAP Season 85 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Malick Diouf and Carl Tamayo spoiled the overtime rally of the Blue Eagles led by Forthsky Padrigao.
The Maroons secured the victory after shooting a free throw opportunity by Tamayo and Diouf, adding three points to their lead.
Tamayo served as the offensive force for the Maroons as he tallied a double-double 20 points and 13 rebounds.
“I’m thankful for the trust of my teammates. They made an effort to hand me the ball and push me to make those shots even though I struggled early,” Tamayo said during the postgame conference.
James Spencer backed the offense of Tamayo with 14 points, with the additional help from the two big men, Diouf and Zavier Lucero, who chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.
JD Cagulangan, the "Mr. Clutch" of the finals Game 3 last season, returned from a left hamstring injury with an impressive performance of 7 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists.
The Blue Eagles did not hold back from the Maroons as Dave Ildefonso unleashed 22 points and 12 rebounds, along with the help of Padrigao and Ange Kouame with 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Padrigao was the highlight of the night for Ateneo, scoring a game-tying three with 36.4 seconds remaining in the final frame to force an overtime, and sinking another crucial three-pointer during the overtime to cut the gap by one possession, 73-71.
The first half of the game was a close bout between the two teams, but the Maroons emerged to lead the first quarter, 18-14.
“We moved the ball well, we really tried to work on our offense,” UP Men’s Basketball Team head coach Goldwyn Monteverde said.
However, Ateneo took the offensive end in the second period after Ildefonso went fiery in the three-point arc to lead an 8-point run for the Eagles. The first half ended with Ateneo trailing UP by 5, 33-38.
The Maroons came back strong from the halftime break with a 20-16 run, taking the lead anew, 42-38. But the Blue Eagles, through Chris Koon, showed tactical plays that trimmed the margin on the latter end of the third period, giving Ateneo a small lead, 53-54.
The fourth quarter start-off became a Maroon shooting frenzy, rallying a 10-2 run against the Blue Eagles in the first three minutes, making the lead by 63-56.
The Blue Eagles answered with an 8-0 run in the latter minutes of the fourth period. Padrigao delivered the game-tying three, sending the game into an overtime, 64-all.
The overtime game was a decisive run by the Maroons, having a 5-0 offense run while ending the overtime with a 12-7 score, sealing the game for a UP victory.
"I believe today we played better as a team. We moved the ball well, and we really got tested. Ang maganda doon, the whole team just stayed together and did their best to execute on both ends," Monteverde said.
The UP Fighting Maroons are currently the leading team in the UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament, ranking alongside the NU Bulldogs with a 4-1 win-loss record.
The Maroons will next face the University of the East Red Warriors on Wednesday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. •
An earlier version of this article indicated an erroneous final score of the game. The news has since been updated.
