Maroons vent ire on Tigers, secure playoff for semis bonus

MANILA, Philippines – The UP Fighting Maroons bounced back from their tough loss against the DLSU Green Archers with a 78-60 rout of the cellar-dwelling UST Growling Tigers in the UAAP Season 85 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Wednesday.

Against the also-ran Tigers, the Maroons clinched at least a playoff for the twice-to-beat bonus in the Final Four as they improved their record to 11-2.

"So that puts us, I guess one step closer, siguro depending on our remaining game, and also the remaining games ng NU at saka ng Ateneo. But there's still a lot to improve on." said UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon.

"We're gonna go back and watch this game, and prepare our best coming into the next game this Saturday." he added.

But the Diliman-based cagers needed to work for their victory as the Tigers kept themselves within striking distance until the halftime break where a 12-3 run saw them within two, 38-36.

But a 15-5 run to begin the third salvo saw the Maroons break free for the 13-point advantage, 52-39, with 3:15 left in the period.

This time, the Maroons made it stick as they held a comfortable advantage for the rest of the game.

Sean Torculas nailed a basket to give UP their biggest lead of the game at 23, 78-55, with 1:27 remaining in the game.

Player of the Game Carl Tamayo provided consistent offense for the Maroons with 19 points. He also had nine rebounds and was a +22 in 17 minutes of action for the defending champions.

Cyril Gonzales provided spark off the bench with 14 markers. Malick Diouf, who powered UP in the opening half, finished with a double-double of 10 points, 14 boards, six assists, two steals and a block.

Nic Cabanero paced UST with 14 points while Adama Faye finished with a double-double of his own 12 points and 11 boards.

UP hopes to seal the semis advantage when they face Ateneo in their final game of eliminations on Saturday. Meanwhile, UST hopes to end their 11-game losing slump when they face the FEU Tamaraws also on Saturday.

The scores:

LA SALLE (61) - Tchuido 14, Torres 13, Sario 10, Binaohan 10, De La Paz 7, Jimenez 5, Arciga 2, Ahmed 0.
NU (57) - Cacho 12, Surada 11, Cayabyab 7, Clarin 7, Tiky 6, Pingol 6, Canuto 3, Solis 3, Fabruada 2, Bartolo 0, Betanio 0.

Quarters: 14-12, 32-25, 37-36, 49-49. 61-57