UNIVERSITY of the Philippines flexed its muscle against yesterday at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan, for a resounding 86-66 rout to book a ticket to the 2023 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup semifinals.
Malick Diouf powered through for 15 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists and Harold Alarcon fired 20 points on top of five rebounds, and three assists, as the Fighting Maroons became the second team to advance to the next round following National University. This is their first-ever semifinals appearance in the premiere preseason tournament backed by Filoil, EcoOil, Hanes, Akari, Reyes BBQ, BDO, Kalos Sportswear, and Molten.
“Very happy, lalo na yung experience na nakukuha ng young guys, kailangan namin yun. Habang nagpo-progress yung games, kitang-kita natin na nag-iimprove kami game per game,” said head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
State U overwhelmed the Pirates with its depth, as three bench players keyed a 15-3 burst that opened up a three-point, 31-28, lead in the middle of the second quarter into a 46-31 advantage early in the third period. They stepped harder on the gas from that point and widened their gap to as big as 26.
In all, UP’s bench totaled 45 points, outscoring both LPU’s starters (42) and reserves (24).
“Marami kaming players who have the potential, pero alam natin at this level ng game, yung adjustment, malaking learning pa. Nandun pa kami sa part na we’re growing as a team,” said Monteverde of his fully-loaded lineup.
