UP outguns Ateneo in altercation-marred thriller to clinch Final Four anew

HEATED. Ateneo coach Louie Alas charges to the UP bench as team officials try to pacify the veteran mentor.

UAAP

For the eighth straight UAAP season, the UP Fighting Maroons stay firmly in title contention after surviving a testy encounter with Katipunan rival Ateneo

AT A GLANCE

• The UP Fighting Maroons secured their seventh consecutive win in the UAAP Season 89 men's basketball tournament by defeating the Ateneo Blue Eagles 82-74.
• Veejay Pre led the Maroons with 16 points, while Jacob Bayla's last-second dunk sparked controversy, leading to a confrontation between coaches.
• With this victory, UP clinched a Final Four spot and is in contention for a twice-to-beat advantage, while Ateneo fell to a 4-6 record.

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MANILA, Philippines – The UP Fighting Maroons earned their seventh straight win of the UAAP Season 89 men’s baskeball tournament in style, downing rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles in a heated 82-74 duel at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, November 7.

Potential MVP candidate Veejay Pre led four Maroons in double-digit scoring with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while guards Elliot Dimaculangan and Rainer Maga added 13 markers apiece as UP clinched the first Final Four spot with a league-best 9-2 record.

However, it was the 5 points that forward Jacob Bayla added that sparked the most intrigue in the nip-and-tuck battle, as his last-second dunk to set the final score enraged Ateneo head coach Louie Alas, enough for him to charge and confront the UP bench at the buzzer.

Though cooler heads prevailed, Maroons mentor Goldwin Monteverde insisted that no malice was intended, and that the play was simply to strengthen their place in a tight standings race, if ever they need to involve late tiebreakers.

Alas, meanwhile, kept his position that the play was disrespectful in nature.

“I quickly accepted that what happened happened, but they have to at least know that it was wrong,” the veteran tactician said in Filipino after the game. “Part of it, I was wrong, but [Bayla] was also wrong.”

Sideline events aside, the win gave the Maroons — who are marching to the Final Four for the eighth straight year — the inside track on the coveted twice-to-beat advantage as it stayed comfortably ahead of NU (7-2), FEU (6-4), and La Salle (6-4).

Ateneo, meanwhile, dropped its second straight game on the way to a 4-6 slate, still in fifth place ahead of a frantic season home stretch.

Super rookie Kieffer Alas once again paced the losing cause with 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals, while running mate Jared Bahay added 13 markers on a 5-of-14 clip, 6 assists, and 3 boards.

The Scores

UP 82 – Pre 16, Maga 13, Dimaculangan 13, Ududo 10, Payosing 7, Bayla 5, Remogat 5, Yñiguez 5, Briones 3, Stevens 2, Palanca 2, Alter 1.

Ateneo 74 – Alas 14, Bahay 13, Espinosa 9, Tuano 9, Rogers 8, Roberts 7, Kapihe 6, Baruwa 4, Bongo 4, Espina 0, Leal 0.