After opening its UAAP Season 88 title defense with back-to-back losses, University of the Philippines has turned things around with three straight wins.
The Fighting Maroons extended their streak in style on Wednesday, handing Ateneo its first loss of the season, 83-69. ‘I believe we started well in the first quarter,’ coach Goldwin Monteverde said after the game. ‘We told our bench players to try and sustain our momentum.’
Francis Nnoruka spearheaded the UP win with a near double-double of 28 points and nine rebounds while Noy Remogat was all over the place with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Remogat, however, did not finish the game after being ejected just 12 seconds into the fourth quarter for a flagrant foul penalty two on Ateneo’s Ian Espinosa.
Shawn Tuano once again led the Blue Eagles with 17 points, while Kymani Ladi added 15 in a losing effort as Ateneo fell to 4-1. UP improved to 3-2 and will try to extend its streak to four when it faces Far Eastern University on Sunday at UST’s Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Ateneo, meanwhile, aims to bounce back when it hosts University of Santo Tomas on Saturday at Blue Eagle Gym.