(Update) UP Fighting Maroons end UAAP men's basketball season winless

The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons made history as the second team to fail to win a single game in a UAAP basketball tournament after the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 93-75, routed them Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. The loss was the 14th straight for the Fighting Maroons for the tournament as they went dead last in the standings in eighth place. Adamson, meanwhile, improved its record at 2-12, good for seventh place in the men’s standings. Patrick Cabahug was named best player after he scored 25 points, grabbed six rebounds, issued an assist and a steal in his final game for the Soaring Falcons. Roel Hugnatan, who is also on his final year, exploded with 11 points, pulling 15 rebounds and an assist. The last team to fail a single game in a UAAP basketball tournament was the Adamsom Soaring Falcons who were handled then by former head coach Luigi Trillo. They were beaten, incidentally, by the UP Fighting Maroons also in their last game on September 15, 2001 with a score of 59-79. Aside from Cabahug and Hugnatan, the game was the last for veteran players Veejay Serios and Victor Epres of UP who will graduate this year. Adamson had practically wrapped up the game early in the first quarter of play as they took a big 20-point lead at 36-16 after 10 minutes of action. Adamson closed the halftime 53-29. UP, which was cheered by hundreds of students and supporters in their final game in the UAAP tournament this year, trimmed Adamson’s lead to 11 points at 75-64 after a 19-5 run going to the five-minute mark of the third quarter, courtesy by baskets of Magie Sison and Mike Gamboa. However, Adamson regained its focus to lead with 17 points at 83-66 via baskets of Cabahug and Hugnatan with less than four minutes to go in the ball game. The Fighting Maroons first and last taste of the lead came in the early minutes of the game at 5-2. Adamson was able to take a big 24-point lead at 53-29 after they scorched the net with 53 percent shooting or 22 out 41 shooting from the field. Adamson also had more rebounds in the first half, 22-20; more assists, 9-5 and fewer turnovers, 8-15 that translated to 20-turnover point. Adamson also had a big advantage in point production 34-14. The Fighting Maroons, it was recalled, was coming off a 40 point, 99-59, loss against UE last September 8. Coming to the game, a note “I Love Joe" which was plastered on the upper jerseys of the players was seen by the fans to indicate their support for embattled UP coach Joe Lipa who is endanger of losing his job at the end of the season because of their worst campaign ever in their 70 years in the league. Lipa, during an earlier interview, indicated that he would resign from the coaching chores if the UP administration does not need his services anymore. The fiery coach, who led the RP team to the bronze medal in the basketball tournament during 1986 Asian games in South Korea, was the first and last coach to give UP its only basketball title in 1986 behind future PBA stars Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc and Eric Altamirano. Bulldogs 96, Blue Eagles 88 In the second game, the National University (NU) Bulldogs spoiled the twice-to-beat dream of the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the stepladder semifinal format after they defeated the latter in overtime, 96-88. Although they are already out for a semifinal hunt, the win was big for the Bulldogs because it was the first time in seven years that they were able to defeat an Ateneo squad in the basketball tournament. The victory was also huge because this snapped Ateneo’s six-game winning streak and broke the chances by the Katipunan-based squad to snatch the Number 2 seeding in the stepladder format of the semifinal round of the UAAP basketball tournament. With the loss, Ateneo now has to face archrival De La Salle Green Archers in a play-off on Thursday at the Cuneta Astrodome to determine who will get the Number 2 slot. Both Ateneo and De La Salle are tied in the men’s standings after the elimination round with a 9-5 win-loss card. The loser of the game will then face the winner of the FEU and UST play-off on Monday at the Araneta Coliseum for the right to face the Number 2 seed in the stepladder format. - GMANews.TV