FilOil: UP Maroons complete tourney with back-to-back wins, survive Altas

(Updated 8:57pm) After starting the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup with six straight losses, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons finished their preseason stint with back-to-back victories, after Raul Soyud completed a three-point play in the last minute of regulation, dispatching the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta Altas 79-76, at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Maroons held a double-digit lead at halftime, but saw it melt away in the last two quarters, as Nigerian center Nosa Omorogbe orchestrated a comeback for the Altas. After a missed a lay-up late in the game, Soyud rebounded the miss, made a pump fake and banked the ball in, making the bonus charity for safety.

Perpetual Help led by as much as five in the fourth quarter, but squandered the lead to lackluster transition defense. Henry Asilum and Mikee Reyes made consecutive lay-ups that leveled the game at 76 before Soyud completed the decisive three-point play.

Joseph Marata paced his team with 16 points and five rebounds, followed by Reyes and Soyud with 14 apiece. Soyud also logged seven rebounds, while front court partner JR Gallarza added 10 boards.

The Maroons finish one win better than last year, completing the tourney with a 2-6 card, good for seventh in Group A play. Prior to this match, they had earned their first win at the expense of the JRU Heavy Bombers last Wednesday.

The Altas conclude their preseason stint with 1-7 card, a step worse from their 2-6 finish the year prior.

"Certainly we ended it [the FilOil tourney] with a bang. So we're moving forward now.

"The UAAP is about four weeks and two days away and we learned a lot here in FilOil," said UP head coach Ricky Dandan. "Our record obviously shows we are struggling, that is very true because we are in the process of trying to develop trust in each other because we have a new team.

"This is a good win for our guys and this would certainly build confidence going into the last four weeks of our preparation."

UP made 42 percent of their shots, including eight three-balls out of 31 attempts (26 percent). They also added 15 conversions out of 22 free throw attempts.

Both teams breathed on each other’s necks early in the first, until the Fighting Maroons gained some separation after a three-ball by Mikee Reyes to make it a 23-17 game. A hook by Julius Wong upped their lead to eight points, 25-17, but two free throws by Nick Omorogbe and a triple by Joel Jolangcob sandwiched a Reyes lay-in, to make it a five-point lead in UP's favor after the first 10 minutes, 27-22.

Reyes in fact had 10 points in the first quarter alone, swishing in two triples and finishing two drives.

The Maroons nursed the lead for most of the second quarter, maintaining a six-point buffer in the first five minutes. After JR Gallarza and Omorogbe made splits, Moriah Gingerich netted a triple to make it a 31-23 ball game. Free throws by Wong countered a drive by Gerald Dizon, but Juneric Baloria finished on a strong drive to the hoop to keep it at a two-possession game, 33-27.

The Altas had a hard time piercing through the six-point veil until Chris Elopre hit a triple to make it 35-32. Asilum banked in a tough attempt, but Dizon again answered with a triple, 37-35.

State U charged back with two treys from Gingerich and Marata, 43-35. A split by Kyles Lao and a put-back by Gallarza then made it a double-digit lead heading to the second half, 46-35.

UP made 16-of-31 attempts from the field (52 percent), sinking six three-pointers out of 17 attempts. They scored seven second-chance points and seven turnover points, with eight markers from the stripe.

Perpetual Help made only 39 percent of their shots (11-of-28). They were 4-of-8 from distance and 9-of-14 from the charity stripe. The Altas managed to out-rebounded the Maroons, 19-17.

Omorogbe top-scored for the Altas in the first half, scoring 11 points, seven from the stripe. Harold Arboleda followed suit with seven markers of his own, and hauling in five rebounds.


Perpetual blew the game wide open in the third, going on a 10-2 run with Omorogbe at the helm. After Omorogbe’s free throws, the Altas were within striking distance, 48-45. Free throws by Reyes quelled the drought, 50-45, but Arboleda finished a short hook inside to keep the deficit at three points, 50-47.

A put-back by Marata and a fast break basket by Cris Ball upped UP’s lead to seven, 54-47, but Arboleda drew the harm while banking in a lay-in. Wong made two free throws after Arboleda’s extra point, but Elopre streaked in for a quick lay-up to make it a 56-52 game.

Ball and Omorogbe traded three-point baskets, although the latter failed to sink his free throw. A triple by Marata thickened UP’s lead to eight points, 62-54, but four straight from Omorogbe and Baloria watered it down to 62-58. UP looked to take a six-point lead to the fourth quarter after a jumper by Marata, but Dizon banked a lay-up late to keep the lead at four points, 64-60.

The teams exchanged baskets early in the fourth, as Omorogbe and Marata both hit jumpers while Asilum nailed a three to counter Baloria’s put-back, 69-64. UP however found themselves stuck at 69 markers, allowing the Altas to take charge, scoring 10 straight for a 74-69 advantage.

After a basket inside by Soyud, Justine Alano banked in a “nakaw play”, as the Maroons’ defense looked at their coaching staff while the ball was in play. Asilum hit a tough reverse lay-up, and Perpetual missed three straight baskets to give the Maroons some hope. Reyes hit a fast break basket after the final fumble, and Soyud completed a three-point play to allow UP to take the win home.

The Altas shot a decent 41 percent from the field, making 27 of their 66 field goal attempts, while adding five three-pointers out of 17 tries (29 percent). They out-rebounded the Maroons 46-39 but despite 19 offensive rebounds, made only 10 second-chance points.

Omorogbe led his team with 27 points, followed by Arboleda with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Gerald Dizon chipped in 10 points from 4-5 shooting. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

UP – Marata 16, Reyes 14, Soyud 14, Ball 7, Asilum 7, Wong 6, Gingerich 6, Amar 5, Gallarza 3, Lao 1, Pascual 0, Suarez 0, Harris 0

UPHSD – Omorogbe 27, Arboleda 12, Dizon 10, Baloria 9, Elopre 7, Alano 6, Jolangcob 3, Bitoy 2, Bantayan 0, Ylagan 0, Lucente 0

Quarter scoring: 27-22, 46-35, 64-60, 79-76