MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – University of the East (UE) is back in the win column for UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball after a strong performance against National University (NU), clinching a 74-58 victory on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Red Warriors capitalized on a powerful third-quarter surge to overcome NU. Coming off a loss to La Salle at the start of the second round, UE had its five-game winning streak interrupted but has now rebounded with their sixth win.
This marked UE’s first game in two weeks, which head coach Jack Santiago noted had both “positive and negative” impacts on the team due to the postponement of UAAP games from Tropical Storm Kristine.
“Actually, ‘yung postponement ng games namin, merong positive and negative sides,” Santiago explained postgame. “First, negative, kasi ang tagal namin.
Rusty ‘yung players namin. Positive because the guys na medyo may mga injuries, naka-recover kami and then we gave some minutes din sa mga guys na hindi masyado nakakapaglaro.”
Despite the concern over “rustiness,” the team showed no signs of it, breaking away after halftime. Leading by just four at the half, UE exploded with an 8-0 run to start the third quarter, ultimately outscoring NU 25-11 in that frame.
A buzzer-beating shot by Rain Maga secured their lead as they wrapped up the win.
Precious Momowei led the team with a commanding double-double of 17 points and 17 rebounds. Wello Lingolingo contributed 14 points and five rebounds, while Ethan Galang chipped in with 12 points to fuel the offense.
For NU, Tebol Garcia and Jolo Manansala offered strong efforts, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively. With this victory, UE’s record improves to 6-3, while NU falls to 2-8.