University of the Philippines finally broke its UST Quadricentennial Pavilion curse, stunning previously unbeaten National University, 66-59, to claim its second straight victory in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday evening.
After falling to a three-game skid at the Growling Tigers’ home court since Season 87, the Fighting Maroons found their rhythm in Espana, fueled by the timely contributions of Fil-Am sharpshooter Miguel Yniguez, Nigerian forward Francis Nnoruka, and senior guard Harold Alarcon.
The trio helped UP rally from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter and snap NU’s perfect 3-0 start to the season.
The win moves UP to solo fifth in the eight-team standings with a 2-2 record while building momentum ahead of the highly anticipated ‘Battle of Katipunan’ against unbeaten Ateneo de Manila University on Wednesday, October 8, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Ateneo, which faces La Salle in a rivalry clash at 5 p.m. Sunday at the same venue, remains atop the standings at 3-0.
“In the collegiate scene, players would always come and go. We just got to move forward, and every player here is handpicked. Meaning, they are unique in their own way. These guys are here for a reason, and that’s because they offer something to the table beyond their talent,” said Fighting Maroons assistant coach Christian Luanzon.
A seven-point run by Steve Nash Enriquez opened the third quarter, sending UP into a 13-point hole at 47-34.
But the Fighting Maroons rallied behind Yniguez, whose layup and back-to-back triples sparked a 14-2 run, cutting NU’s lead to a single point at 49-48 entering the final period.
Yniguez’s surge ignited UP’s fourth-quarter push. A thunderous dunk by Nnoruka, six clutch points by Alarcon, and an inside basket from Gani Stevens gave the Fighting Maroons a pivotal eight-point lead at 58-50 with exactly three minutes remaining.
UP extended its advantage with a stepback midrange jumper from Alarcon, an and-one layup from Stevens, and a dagger inside shot from Reyland Torres to make it 65-53 with 30.4 seconds left, effectively sealing their second consecutive win after opening the season 0-2.
“Yung mga minor adjustments namin, especially nung half time, we felt that every screen that they were giving us kasi this is a heavy ball screen team. It felt like every screen would hit our guards hard. But it’s a two-man game and a five-man action so what’s important is everybody’s involved in communication,” Luanzon added, as UP limited NU to just 10 points on 2-of-13 shooting in the fourth quarter.
(“Our minor adjustments, especially during halftime, focused on how we handled every screen they were giving us because this is a heavy ball-screen team. It felt like every screen would challenge our guards. But it’s a two-man game within a five-man action, so what’s important is that everyone is involved and communicating.”)
Nnoruka led UP with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, along with six rebounds and a steal.
