DEFENDING champion University of the Philippines refused to blink in the face of adversity yesterday.
The Fighting Maroons and turned back the gritty National University Bulldogs 69-61 in their Final Four showdown to gain a finals slot in the 85th UAAP basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Trailing 58-61, UP unleashed a telling 8-0 blitz capped by a JD Cagulangan three-pointer that made it 66-61, only 53.3 ticks left.
That cushion proved just enough for the No. 2 Maroons, who redeemed themselves from a 67-75 loss to Ateneo 12 days ago and returned to the Big Dance anew.
Third seeded NU came off a sorry 63-63 defeat to Adamson last Saturday.
The twice-to-beat Blue Eagles were battling the Adamson Falcons in the other semis match last night.
Six-foot-11 Senegalese import Malick Diouf, set to be named season MVP, banged in 17 points, 21 rebounds, and three blocks for UP, while Zavier Lucero added 12 markers, 11 boards, and five assists.
Cyril Gonzales also had 11 points, while Cagulangan and Gerry Abadiano combined for 15 for the Maroons, who will take on either the top seed Blue Eagles or fourth-ranked Adamson University in the best-of-3 finals.
UP coach Goldwin Monteverde lauded his wards for showing resolve despite losing prized big man Carl Tamayo who sprained his right ankle at the 5:06 mark of the first quarter. Tamayo returned in the second half but played limited minutes.
“We’re happy that we’ll be getting another chance to win a championship and for the game a while ago, I felt (like) we started out flat,” Monteverde said. “One thing, I believe the team bounced back from where we started. Losing Carl (Tamayo) in the first half. . . but the team responded well to the challenge given to us.
“Credit too, and respect to NU, they have a really good season. (They) played very well. They were a tough challenge for us, for me. However, the team responded to this game. I’m very proud of them,” he added.
The Maroons trailed 35-38 at the half but regained their bearings and grabbed a 54-45 lead going into the final stanza.
Jake Figueroa paced the Bulldogs with 16 points and 14 caroms, while Kean Baclaan had 14 markers.
Michael Malonzo also contributed 11 points for NU. Jonas Tibayan and Germy Mahinay played their last game for the Bulldogs.
