The University of the Philippines (UP) journey in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball championship stalled another day. The UP Men’s Basketball Team lost Game 2 of 3 of the Finals to Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) on May 11, 2022, at the MOA Arena in Pasay City. With one win over each other, the UP Fighting Maroons and the Blue Eagles will meet again tonight, Friday, at 6 PM, at the same venue, for the winner-take-all Game 3.
Watch the game on:
- Cignal channel 263HD
- Cignal Play
- Smart Giga Play
- TV5 on free TV
UP trailed ADMU by 15 points, 30-45, in the third quarter, but managed to even out the scores, 54-54, halfway in the fourth quarter, on a fast-break shot by Ricci Rivero, before exchanging leads with Ateneo until the scores tied out again at 61-61.
But the Maroons failed to thwart a back-to-back Gian Mamuyac putback and Samjosef Belangel fast-break lay-up, which padded Ateneo’s lead to 4, 61-65, going into the last two minutes.
Zavier Lucero made 2 of his charities, but his team’s fouls on Ange Kouame and Dave Ildefonso in the ensuing plays resulted in two splits, which maintained Ateneo’s 4-point lead, 63-67, 1:04 remaining in the game.
Then, the Blue Eagles stole a weak inbound pass from the Maroons, which gave Mamuyac an unguarded run to the hoop, making 63-69, with 48.9 seconds remaining. UP responded with a Ricci Rivero lay-up for 65-69. Regaining ball possession after a scoreless play by Ateneo, UP had 17 seconds but took too much time to shoot until Rivero was fouled, making his last-ditch attempts in the paint only before the last 2 seconds of the game. A Rivero free-throw reduced Ateneo’s lead to 3, 66-69.
Before the match, the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball Individual Awardees received their trophies. They are Angelo Kouame of Ateneo, Most Valuable Player; Carl Tamayo of UP, Rookie of the Year; and Kouame, Justine Baltazar of De La Salle University (DLSU), Lucero and Tamayo of UP, and Michael Phillips of DLSU, the Mythical 5.
The Scores:
ATENEO 69 — Kouame 14, ChristianTio 14, Ildefonso 10, Mamuyac 7, Belangel 6, Christopher Koon 6, Rafael Verano 4, Joshua Lazaro 3, Bryan Andrade 3, Geo Chiu 2.
UP 66 — Tamayo 18, Rivero 16, Joel Cagulangan 8, Lucero 8, Maodo Diouf 8, Harold Alarcon 5, James Spencer 3.
Quarterscores: 17-16, 37-28, 49-45, 69-66.
With reporting and photos from the UAAP Media Group.
