The UP Fighting Maroons closed the men’s basketball tournament of UAAP Season 82 with a podium finish at third place. This after the UST Growling Tigers tore through UP’s second-seed twice-to-beat advantage in the stepladder semifinals to nab the finals berth. In its last UAAP match on November 13 at the MOA Arena, the Diliman squad lost to the team from España by three, 65-68.
“We couldn’t bring that kind of game to any team. We have to be a lot better,” UP Men’s Basketball Team Head Coach Bo Perasol says after a defeat by UST in their first stepladder semifinals game.
Hey, UP go! UP fight! Hey, let’s go, let’s fight! Get ready to cheer for your UP Fighting Maroons on November 10, 4pm, at the Big Dome, as they battle the UST Growling Tigers for that sweet spot in the UAAP finals.
The UP Fighting Maroons prevailed once again over the DLSU Green Archers, 71-68, on October 27 at the Ynares Sports Center, Antipolo, Rizal, in their second round matchup for the UAAP Season 82 Men’s Basketball elimination rounds. The Maroons were thus assured of the second seed and its twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinal with a 9-4 win-loss record.
The UP Fighting Maroons inch closer to the Final Four of UAAP Season 82 Men’s Basketball as they solidify their second-place ranking after the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
They were down by 12 twice in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. And then it happened. That re-energized Fighting Maroon spirit emerged, eager to bounce back from a previous game’s defeat. That hunger for victory powerfully played out in a 21-5 run in the last seven minutes of the game.
UP Men’s Basketball Team returned to the court with consistent offensive play and better defense. It was a redemption game for the Fighting Maroons, as well as a return of the momentum especially to Jun Manzo and Ricci Rivero, as they overcame the University of the East’s (UE) Red Warriors in a 3-point lead victory coming from a two-time loss.
In their second round opener of the UAAP men’s basketball on October 6 at the MOA Arena, the UP Fighting Maroons challenged the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, but were not able to survive the attack in overtime, 82-79.
The Maroons fell prey to the Eagles twice in one bloody Sunday at the Big Dome on September 29. The Lady Maroons failed to win against the Lady Eagles, 62-76, and the Fighting Maroons lost to the Blue Eagles, 63-89.
With its fourth straight win, UP raises its scorecard to 5-1. The only team left to battle in the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball first round games is its finals rival last season, the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
