University of the Philippines stifled National University for a 66-59 win on Saturday in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Fighting Maroons improved to 2-2 and handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the young season after a 3-0 start. UP clamped down defensively when it mattered most, holding the Bulldogs to just 10 points in the fourth quarter after trailing by one entering the period, 49-48.
Fighting Maroons’ assistant coach Christian Luanzon credited the squad’s defensive showcase to their stellar communication inside the court.
‘What’s important was, everyone was involved in communication, everybody was on the same page with our coverages,’ Luanzon said. ‘I thought we did a better job in the second half for being on the same page.’
At one point in the final frame, the Fighting Maroons built a 13-point cushion, 65-53, off a Reyland Torres mid-range jumper with 34 seconds remaining.
NU tried to rally late but never got close enough to threaten a deadlock before the final buzzer.
The Fighing Maroons’ twin towers of Francis Nnoruka and Gani Stevens finished with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Steve Nash Enriquez paced NU with 16 points, while Gelo Santiago added 10 in the losing effort.