Ol' reliable: UP leans on veteran Marian Buitre in Molde's absence

MANILA, Philippines — She may not have been seeing a lot of action this UAAP Season 81, but UP's Marian Buitre has always been a force to be reckoned with.

After Isa Molde suffered an ankle sprain in the Lady Maroons' second round meeting with Ateneo last Saturday, Buitre took up the challenge to aid UP's offense.

Despite her scarce playing time in the games prior, Buitre still did some damage against Ateneo -- finishing with six points.

But her breakout game came against the UE Lady Warriors on Wednesday.

Buitre barged into the starting lineup in place of Molde, who was sidelined during the match due to her injury.

She made the most of her playing time to tally a career-high 19 points in UP's victory against the Lady Warriors.

After coming away with player of the game honors, Buitre could only insist that she is ready to give in whatever way she can in her final playing year.

"Lagi ko sinasabi na as a senior, lagi naman ako nandyan if they need me. Di naman ako mawawala," Buitre said.

For fellow graduating player Ayel Estranero, Buitre contributed to the win with more than just her points.

"We lost one leader inside... [kasi] Isa always tries to lift up the team. But then Marian, actually stepped up also. Pinakita naman ni Marian na kayang kaya niya rin," Estranero said.

While it is best for the Lady Maroons to get Molde back on the court as soon as possible, the UP stalwart can take her time.

After all, UP coach Godfrey Okumu has one of the deepest benches in the league.