UP rebounds from its La Salle loss, taking down UST for a strong start in round 2 of UAAP Season 87.
The UP Fighting Maroons clamped down on defense in the fourth quarter to score a bounce-back win over the UST Growling Tigers, 83-73, to begin round 2 of UAAP Season 87 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, October 13.
After being grounded by Finals rivals La Salle to end the first round, UP had to dig deep to deny a win-hungry UST team, using a fourth-quarter flurry where the Fighting Maroons outscored their foes, 24-11.
The defensive masterclass reversed a 62-59 UST lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Terrence Fortea came up big for the Fighting Maroons by torching their foes from beyond the arc — scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half.
He scored nine points in the fourth salvo, including the dagger with 40 seconds left that led us to the final score, 83-73.
But it was a highly-efficient performance from Francis Lopez that kept UP afloat when UST threatened all-game long. Last year's Rookie of the Year finished with 20 points built off of a 8-of-9 shooting night.
Mo Tounkara paced UST in the losing effort with 24 points, nine rebounds, and one assist.
UP thus rises to second in the standings with a 7-1 record. La Salle has the same record but is ahead via win over the other. Meanwhile, UST is at 4-4 at solo fourth.