The University of the Philippines (UP) defeated defending champion De La Salle University 80-76 on Sunday night, October 11, in a rematch of last season's UAAP men's basketball Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The win improved the Fighting Maroons' record to 3-2 in UAAP Season 89 and kept them in a tight race in the upper half of the standings. La Salle fell to 3-3, ending a two-game winning streak.
A late scare
UP led 63-53 after three quarters, but La Salle fought back in the fourth. The Green Archers went on a 10-2 run capped by a Jacob Cortez three-pointer that gave them a 73-72 lead with 2:40 remaining.
UP regained control in the closing minutes. Dikachi Udodo split a pair of free throws, and Veejay Pre's fallaway jumper made it 75-73 with 1:32 left. The Maroons then made four of six free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Rey Remogat led UP with 20 points. Pre scored 19 points, seven of them in the fourth quarter, and grabbed seven rebounds, while Elliott Dimaculangan added 11 points.
For La Salle, JC Macalalag scored 17 points, Luis Pablo had 14 points and nine rebounds, Doy Dungo added 12 and Cortez finished with 10.
"A test of character"
UP coach Goldwin Monteverde said his team knew what the game meant. "Going towards this game, we knew it was going to be a test of character for the team," he said.
Four days earlier, La Salle had beaten Ateneo de Manila University 83-76 in the 100th UAAP meeting between the two rivals, leaving their head-to-head series tied at 50-50.
Adamson beats UE
In the other game, Adamson University defeated the University of the East (UE) 71-64. Ray Allen Torres scored 17 points, and Precious Jonah had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Soaring Falcons, who improved to 3-2.
UE fell to 0-6. It was the Red Warriors' 26th consecutive loss, a streak that dates back to Season 87 in 2024. Toper Lagat led UE with 22 points.
