UAAP: FEU-D spoils UST's title defense opener; Ateneo, La Salle, NUNS notch wins in HS hoops

It was early redemption for Far Eastern University-Diliman in their opening game in the UAAP Season 88 boys basketball tournament, as they defeated title holders University of Santo Tomas, 82-78, last Sunday at the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.

In the clutch, Cabs Cabonilas assisted a go-ahead bucket by Marc Burgos while subsequently draining three out of four free throws to overcome their Season 87 Final Four adversaries this time around.

Cabonilas finished the contest with an all-around production of 19 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and a steal. Khean Esperanza and Jheremy Godoy provided supplementary scoring with 13 and 10 markers each.

Meanwhile, Ola Ajani paced the Tiger Cubs with a game-leading double-double, churning out 21 points while also grabbing 14 boards. Kirk Cañete and lead guard Joaquin Ludovice followed suit with 17 and 12 points respectively.

Ateneo def. UE

To kick off the tournament, new head tactician Bacon Austria and Ateneo scored a 91-84 victory over University of the East.

Aiming to improve from their 3-11 record last season, the Blue Eagles extinguished any chances of a Junior Red Warrior comeback in the fourth quarter.

Imposing his presence throughout the whole game, bigman Jude Eriobu put up a monstrous 28 points and 14 rebounds to go along with four blocks. Unri Madrangca and Nico Banal both produced 14 points to help Ateneo in its winning efforts.

The Junior Red Warriors were led in scoring by Jolo Pascual with 18 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Sizco Roquid and Jamal Diaz also entered double digits with 17 and 14 points each.

NU def. ADU

Down by one point with 30 seconds left, Mots Matias and Sofiane Bouzina provided crucial baskets as National University-Nazareth School escaped with a debut game victory, 76-74, at the expense of Adamson University.

It was a team effort for the Bullpups, as whilst Lucido scored a game-high 18 points, seven other NUNS players contributed six points or more. 

Replacing Collins Akowe this season, Moussa Diakite opened his U19 campaign with six points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.

For Adamson, Flores led the scoring production off the bench with 13 points in 20 minutes. Following him were Jenodia and Artango with 12 and 10 markers respectively, with the latter also nicking four steals.

DLSZ def. UP

To cap off an eventful day, De La Salle Zobel started life without Kieffer Alas in a huge way, notching a 56-point win over University of the Philippines-Integrated School.

The Junior Archers dominated the bout all throughout the four quarters, culminating in a final canto which saw them limiting the Fighting Maroons offense to only five points.

Maco Dabao showed out against UPIS, exploding for 27 points on 10-14 shooting from the field, only missing once from the three-point line (5-6 3PM). La Salle’s new lead guard also produced six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in just 21 minutes of action.

Off the bench, Kio Favis provided 14 points in 15 minutes. Meanwhile starters Mark Borrero, Champ Arejola, and Ken Atienza also chipped in 13 and 11 points each in the blowout victory.

For the Fighting Maroons, Bruce Tubongbanua chalked up 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists.

HS Girls 

In the girls' tournament, NUNS had a record-breaking 155-29 win against Ateneo.

The Lady Bullpups broke the record the previous held by UST, also against Ateneo, last February 16, 2025 which was a 170-46 win.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News