UE Red Warriors blow out UP Maroons in UAAP Season 77 opener

For one quarter, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons looked like they had the chops to hang around against the University of the East Red Warriors. A huge second quarter from UE made it clear that this was not the case as they ran away with a 87-59 victory to claim the first victory in the men’s basketball competitions of UAAP Season 77.

Dan Alberto led UE with 15 points but it was a total team effort as 14 Red Warriors scored in the game. Charles Mammie only had eight points while their star Roi Sumang only had seven but they didn’t need big numbers from their top guys as UP offered token resistance.

The UP Maroons were on their way to finishing the first quarter tied with the UE Red Warriors at 16-all. However, substitute point guard Dan Alberto outran his defenders and threw up a prayer three-point shot that banked in as the buzzer sounded.

Alberto showed that his first quarter buzzer beater was no fluke as he nailed back to back triples to give the Warriors a 34-21 lead. With UE threatening to pull away, the Maroons relied on their one-on-one skills to get back into the game. Maroon guards Henry Asilum and Mikee Reyes tried to take matters into their own hands instead of setting up their teammates and it often resulted to turnovers or misses.

Jumao-as joined the Warriors’ party as he dished off an assist to De Leon and then scored on a floater to extend their lead to 17. Alberto finished the second quarter with another triple for UE for a 20-point lead but the Maroons were able to get a free throw for a 45-26 count heading into the half.

The Warriors blew the game wide open in the third quarter as Roi Sumang heated up. A layup from the super scorer gave them a 62-33 advantage with three minutes left in the third quarter. UE held a 66-36 lead heading into the final quarter.

The last 10 minutes of the game looked like a glorified pick-up game as it became clear that the Maroons are not on the Warriors’ level; at least not yet.

The Main Man: Dan Alberto led the Warriors in scoring as he poured in 12 of his 15 points in the first two quarters to give UE a huge lead.

Honorable Mentions: Jumao-as played an all-around game with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists while Ronnie De Leon chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.

Game Turning Point: This game was over after the Warriors built a 20- point lead in the second quarter. UP is the weaker team on paper. Their ceiling is limited and they do not have low post threats. Their only shot at scoring an upset was to stay close. They did it in the first quarter but it all fell apart in the second. Dan Alberto followed his buzzer-beater in the first with three more triples in the following quarter to take it out of UP’s reach.

He Said It:

UE head coach Derrick Pumaren: We really wanted to win this game because we plan on making this as a springboard for the rest of the UAAP Season. Dan Alberto gained confidence after hitting that buzzer beater in the first quarter. He’ll be playing as Roi Sumang's primary substitute and he’ll also play alongside him because Roi will play as a wing sometimes. Our starting unit was too excited and we were lucky that our second unit came in and gave us a big lift. It just shows that it will take a total team effort to win.

They Said It (on Twitter):

The scores:

UE 87: Alberto 15, Javier 12, De Leon 10, Jumao-as 10, Mammie 8, Arafat 7, Sumang 7, Guiang 4, Olayon 4, Varilla 3, Gallanza 3, Hernandez 2, Palma 1, Derige 1

UP 59: Lao 18, Moralde 11, Asilum 8, Gingerich 6, Galalrza 5, Dario 4, Harris 3, Reyes 2, Vito 2

Quarters: 19-16, 45-26,66-36, 87-59