By NIKOLE JAVIER
Graduating JD Cagulangan showed the way as University of the Philippines blasted University of the East, 81-71, in the first round of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday night, Sept. 14, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Fighting Maroons were hardly unfazed in the face of a determined fightback put up by the Red Warriors in the final quarter as they cruised to their second convincing win of the season.
Cagulangan, playing his final year with the last chance to regain lost glory, caught fire from long range to finish with 21 points highlighted by five three-pointers that went efficiently with seven rebounds and four assists.
The 5-foot-9 floor general was the lone Fighting Maroon in double figures this time after posting similar numbers in UP’s opening day triumph over Ateneo last week to kick off its campaign on the right track.
In his first year in UP, Cagulangan delivered the championship winning triple for the Fighting Maroons that dramatically ended a 36-year title drought in Season 84, but he’s been unsuccessful in replicating the same feat for back-to-back seasons now.
Sophomore big man Mark Belmonte has been making the most of his part after scoring nine points on top of four rebounds, while Harold Alarcon added nine markers on a 4-of-5 inside shooting to provide some support in the blowout win.
UP stamped all over UE in the first three quarters that saw the biggest lead of the match balloon to as many as 27 at 69-42, with the Fighting Maroons always two steps ahead for the better part of it.
With a minute and a half remaining, Precious Momowei used all his might to drive hard to the basket where he drew a foul for a huge and-1 play which could’ve finally cut down UE’s the deficit to a single-digit, but ended up missing the freebie, 81-71, as the final tally remained unchanged until the final buzzer.
Sophomore import Momowei himself turned in a pretty fine showing of his own to pace the Red Warriors with a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double outing.
Wello Lingolingo added 11 markers and eight rebounds as UE joined FEU as the only winless squads in two assignments.
