Steve Pinauin/UAAP Season 89 Media Team
The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons opened the second round of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament with a narrow 103-100 victory over the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers in a double-overtime thriller on Wednesday, 21 October.
UP came from behind in the first half before taking the lead heading into the fourth quarter, but UST kept the game close and forced the contest into overtime.
The Fighting Maroons eventually pulled away in the second overtime to escape with the three-point victory after a back-and-forth battle.
VJ Pre led UP with 30 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, catching fire in the fourth quarter to fuel the Fighting Maroons' push. Chicco Briones chipped in 14 points off the bench.
UST’s Mark Llemit paced all scorers with 33 points on 52 percent shooting from the field, while Akowe added 23 points. However, their efforts fell short as the Growling Tigers failed to overcome UP.
With the win, UP improved to 6-2 and moved to the top of the men’s basketball standings, overtaking National University.
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