UP breaks slump, trashes UE to end their first round campaign



UP barges into the win column after beating UE to end the first round

(UP MBT Game #7 - August 19, 2012 @ the Araneta Coliseum)

Finally. A win.

The UP community can breathe a sigh of relief after the Fighting Maroons gave the UE Red Warriors a spanking in the last game of the first round, 63-48.

The State U boys finally won after being part of games wherein they led but lost, they clawed back but still failed, could've won but a non-call affected the outcome or just plainly being beaten badly by the other team. The Maroons were never really threatened by the Warriors in this game save for a few stretches were UE tried to rally only to be doused by one UP run after another.

The Maroons were led by two players that were very much apart in terms of playing years but was quite equal in terms of having the will to win in this game. Fifth year and graduating player Mark Lopez and freshman rookie  Henry Asilum led UP's charge for most of the game.

Lopez made his presence felt every time he was inside the court, making life miserable for UE hotshot Roi Sumang, intercepting passes, rebounding against taller Warriors and hitting his jumpshots. Asilum on the other hand started slow and was scoreless after playing just seven minutes in the first half. He immediately picked up the slack in the second half scoring his game high 14 points and effectively facilitating the UP offense.

Lopez provided hustle and consistency all game for UP

Overall though, it was the Maroons' consistency in hustling and defending better for the whole game that made them win against the Red Warriors. One surprise performance for this game came form UP forward Diony Hipolito, primarily a defender, who scored an efficient nine points via short stabs and mid-range jumpers.

UP led 14-11 to end the first quarter and continued their scrambling defense in the second when they went up by six points forcing UE coach Jerry Codinera to call a timeout with five and half left and the score at 22-16. The Maroons had a line-up of Asilum, Alvin Padilla, Robby Wierzba, Hipolito and Alinko Mbah during the stretch and was rewarded with the four points in the paint and four points off of UE turnovers.

The Warriors unleashed a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to a single point but Lopez and Jelo Montecastro teamed up for a 4-0 blast to pad the lead again at 26-21. Both teams made 4-0 runs until the last seconds of the first half when UP's Chris Ball was called for a foul after Sumang had apparently lost control of the ball already and with UP up, 30-25. Sumang splits his charities to make it 30-26 at the break.

Ball started the third quarter with a jumpshot but Sumang answered with an and-one conversion. Asilum would get his first basket but UE would score three more points to cut the lead to only two, 34-32. This was when Asilum decided to show the UP fans what he can actually do.

Asilum showed that he got game

The kid from Cebu showcased a personal 7-0 run that featured a three-pointer, a fastbreak lay-up off a steal and a putback to put the Maroons ahead, 41-32. The quarter featured more UE turnovers and several missed freethrows that could've brought them back in the game. Mike Silungan hit his only field goal, a three point shot from the corner, when UE was threatening to make another comeback. Sumang finally hits a freethrow to end the quarter for a 50-41 count going into the fourth.

UP increased their lead to 12 with nine minutes left in the game after a Paolo Romero freethrow and an Mbah running hook. The offense became anemic for both teams after that as they were unable to score until the 4:40 left in the game when Asilum made a freethrow for a 54-41 count.

UE made a last ditch effort to win the game when Pedrito Galanza hit a three and Sumang converted on a drive, 54-46 in favor of UP. However, the Maroons showed composure en route to their first win as Ball, Hipolito and Asilum would conspire on a game winning 9-2 run to end the game.

At the post-game interview, UP coach Ricky Dandan were all praises for how his boys played in this game and that how this will transpire for a better second round for the Maroons. The team is already being compared to the last relevant UP Fighting Maroons squad that almost made the Final Four in Season 67 (the Toti Almeda led squad that was one win short of the playoffs after then DLSU coach Franz Pumaren was seen dining with the referees that called UP's last loss that eliminated them from contention. This was apparently before that game against La Salle).

To do another remarkable run though, they have to make sure they learn from their past mistakes and play their hearts out every game. They should remain true to their fighting monicker and in the end, win the game.

If there is a team that can do this so-called "miracle" look no further than the boundaries of the UP Campus in Diliman.


Notes:
UP breaks a 15-game slump dating back from last season after they surprisingly beat FEU
UP led at the end of all quarters of the game and all 12 players fielded for UP scored.
UP won the turnover points battle, 18-0.
Asilum statline- 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals
Lopez statline- 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists
Sumang statline- 18 points, seven rebounds

(Credits to the website for the watermarked photos)