By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Negrense Harold Alarcon struggled to find his rhythm, but the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons still cruised to a 92-75 victory over the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, September 28.
Alarcon finished with just two points on 1-of-5 shooting, but contributed on the other end with three steals, two assists and a rebound.
It was Rey Remogat who took charge against his former school, firing 21 points built on six triples alongside 10 assists, six rebounds and two steals as the defending champions notched their first win in three games.
The Fighting Maroons overcame an early 9-17 deficit behind Remogat’s back-to-back three-pointers and a four-point play, surging ahead 27-20 at the end of the first quarter.
They carried the momentum into halftime with a 53-36 cushion, eventually stretching the lead to as many as 28 in the second half.
Francis Nnoruka and Isagani Stevens both tallied double-doubles of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Gerry Abadiano chipped in 11 markers.
For the Red Warriors, Precious Momowei and Wello Lingolingo scored 18 points apiece.
John Abate had 15 while Jhon Jimenez added 10.
However, UE remained winless at 0-3.
Meanwhile, Jadem Lazo delivered a scorching fourth-quarter performance as the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles overpowered the Adamson University Falcons, 77-58, to stay unbeaten.
Holding on to a slim 51-48 lead after three quarters, Lazo spearheaded a 9-1 run by scoring five points to widen the gap, 60-49.
He then knocked down back-to-back three-pointers following a Jared Bahay triple, giving Ateneo a commanding 71-52 advantage.
Lazo finished with 15 points, 13 of which came in the payoff period for the Blue Eagles, now with a 3-0 win-loss slate.
Divine Adili led Ateneo in scoring with 16, while Kymani Ladi and Ian Espinosa added 14 and 10, respectively.
Adamson fell to a 1-2 win-loss slate despite a career night from Matthew Erolon, who tallied 23 points built on seven triples./ASC, WDJ