THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines Fighting Maroons hope to have an answer for their endgame woes when they battle the defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles today in Game Two of the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball finals at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Eagles feasted on the Maroons in crunchtime as they pulled away with a 12-1 run to take Game 1, 88-79, and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three affair.
Still, the Maroons are unfazed and remain defiant as they look for a win to equalize the series and send the finals to a deciding Game Three.
“Gutom ‘yung team namin kaya hindi namin papakawalan ‘yung chance na binigay sa amin ni Lord. Next game, babawi talaga kami,” said guard Jun Manzo, who led the Maroons in scoring with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
(The team is hungry for the title so we’re not going to just let go of the chance given to us by the Lord. In the next game, we’re going to bounce back.)
But for UP to have any chance in this series, it must get more from Cebuano wingman Paul Desiderio, who was held in check by Ateneo’s defense in Game One, where he managed just five points on six attempts.
Although the former University of the Visayas stud added six rebounds and eight assists, more is expected out of the man who led UP’s improbable charge to the finals.
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