The UP Fighting Maroons kicked off its inaugural game of the UAAP Season 86 with a commanding victory against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 68-51, marking their first victory to start off their title quest at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Sunday evening.
Struggling in the first half from the Falcon defense, the new Maroons captain CJ Cansino drew an offensive rally in the second half tallying 16 of his 19 points in the second half alone, marking his return from an ACL injury that made him miss the entire UAAP Season 85.
UAAP Season 85 Most Valuable Player Malick Diouf showed dominance with only 26 minutes of action as he tallied a double-double, 20 points and 17 rebounds, anchoring the Maroons’ victory with assistance from Cansino’s offense.
Both teams struggled offensively with low field goal markers until the last stretch of the second quarter, after UP commanded the final minutes with a 31-25 lead advantage against the Falcons.
“First quarter, we were a little bit slow going down on defense. We were very impatient offensively, but the good thing is the team adjusted well to what’s happening,” said men’s basketball team head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
The second half highlights the three-point assaults from Harold Alarcon and CJ Cansino in the third frame. Cansino made three beyond-the-ark shots to keep the lead, while Alarcon nailed a corner three to seal a double-digit lead, 48-30.
The Falcons, however, halted the three-point assault with a 5-0 run in the last minute of the third frame, trimming the lead down of the Maroons to 48-35. Coming off the fourth period, the Falcons put on a fight against the offensive rally of the Maroons, slimming down the lead to 10, 51-41, with the Maroons still having the upper hand.
Falcons’ last breath of hope did not last long as UP answered back with a 10-0 run. The 10-point surge began with a Diouf dunk slam then an open stroll basket by Alarcon at the last period of the ball game. Cansino then pulled an acrobatic lay-up to seal a 20-point Maroon lead with only 4:22 left in the game clock.
The Maroons ended the Falcons’ 7-2 run at the final stretch of the ball game with Cansino trailing a three to put a nail in the coffin with 31 seconds left in the final period. The game ended in a blowout win by the Maroons, 68-51.
UP Women’s Basketball team also made a show after a major beatout against the Adamson Lady Falcons, finishing the game with a 92-61 victory for the Lady Maroons.
The Lady Maroons were led by Justine Domingo delivering 17 points with the help of Christine Bariquit and Marielle Vingno with 13 points each, trampling the Falcons with a 35-point lead until the last stretch of the final frame.
The men’s basketball team will resume its quest for victory against the University of the East Red Warriors on Wednesday morning at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. ●
