The UP Fighting Maroons got to work on rebounds after the halftime break, seizing control for the win over the UST Growling Tigers in UAAP Season 87.
UP churned out hard work when it mattered most, shifting the focus to defense and rebounding in the second half for an 83-73 comeback win over the UST Growling Tigers in the second round of UAAP Season 87 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, October 13.
After being bullied on the boards in the first two quarters with Nic Cabañero and Mo Tounkara crashing the offensive rebounds for UST, UP adjusted well as the Fighting Maroons later out-hustled the España-based team down the stretch.
The Fighting Maroons got to work in the painted area as they more than doubled their halftime total in rebounds, finishing with 43 boards against UST’s 35 at the buzzer.
Limiting UST to one shot possessions became pivotal especially in the fourth quarter, where UP outscored the Growling Tigers, 24-11.
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After the game, UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde praised his players for taking on the challenge — after being a little more passive in the early goings of the game.
"Well, being consistent nga with [our play] like we always said nung first round, [we have to be] responding to the challenge at hand,” said Monteverde after the win.
“Nung first half kasi I think we've been forcing UST to miss shots most of the time but then nako-control yung offensive rebounds so I think the team worked together to control the rebounds nung second half," he added.
Because they did the dirty work under the basket, the shots also started falling for the Fighting Maroons, including a 16-2 run in the fourth quarter to fully flip the script on UST. UP took a 77-67 lead with 4:09 remaining and never looked back.
Terrence Fortea was the hot hand down the stretch as he nailed nine points — all on threes in the fourth quarter to finish with 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three. He also had two rebounds, and three assists for UP.
Francis Lopez, meanwhile, steadied the ship through the first three quarters for the Fighting Maroons with a near-perfect shooting night, going 8-of-9 from the field to finish with a team-high 20 points along with seven rebounds, and two assists.
Tounkara led UST in the loss with 24 points, nine rebounds, and one assist. Cabañero had 17 markers, and nine boards to fall one rebound short of the double-double. Christian Manaytay also breached double figures with 12 points.
UP thus improved its record to 7-1 with the win, while UST dropped to 4-4.
UP faces UE next on Wednesday, October 23, at the Mall of Asia Arena. UST, meanwhile, faces a tall task of bouncing back against the defending champions when the Tigers face La Salle on Wednesday, October 16, also at MOA Arena.