The Fighting Maroons made a statement right in their first UAAP Season 87 game with a clinical 16-point win over their Katipunan rivals.
The UP Fighting Maroons’ redemption tour got off to a rousing start on Saturday after they pummeled the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 77-61, in the opening game of UAAP Season 87 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
It was the third straight win by the Fighting Maroons over their Katipunan neighbors and second straight by double-digits dating back to the second round of last season. The win also serves as a good launch pad for their Season 87 campaign as they seek to end a two-season stretch of runner-up finishes by winning it all as hosts.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Ateneo’s shooting needs a lot of work
As the saying goes, stats don’t lie. And the stats from this game showed that the Blue Eagles couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean. They shot just 19/40 from the free throw line and 4/22 from beyond the arc. Overall, they made just 28.8% of their shots (19/66). Coach Tab Baldwin zeroed in on their free throws.
“You know, it was horrendous,” he admitted. “When you get to the line 40 times, you should probably win the game. And, you know, we didn’t win the game. In fact, we weren’t even close. So, free throw shooting was really huge for us.”
For Baldwin, though, it was Ateneo’s performance on the other end of the court that needs to be addressed. “Well, there were certainly several aspects that leave a lot to be desired. I thought our defense wasn’t executing what we asked them to do. It wasn’t focused on particular strengths of the U.P. players. And I think that’s a mental mistake. I think physically, we really got tested today.”
The Fighting Maroons threw a 1-3-1 zone at their opponents for most of the game, a move that Baldwin admits caught them by surprise, but in a good way.
“I think the other thing that surprised all of us was that U.P. felt they had to zone us for virtually the whole game. That kind of surprised me. You know, that’s something that a lot of teams, when you play a game and the other team zones you for virtually the whole game, kind of take that as a compliment, as if they can’t guard you.”
Things won’t get any easier for the Blue Eagles after Baldwin virtually ruled out veteran forward Chris Koon, who played just seven minutes after injuring his ankle, for at least their next game against UST on Wednesday.
“We’ll get him an X-ray, I think, tonight, maybe tomorrow,” he said. “It’s not good. He’ll probably miss, I’m sure he’ll miss the next game. How serious it is will be what we see on the X-ray or an MRI, if that’s necessary. He’s got swelling already. He felt it was pretty serious, so we’ll have to wait and see. We just have to go deeper into the bench now.”
Jared Bahay looks like the real deal
One of the storylines heading into this game was Ateneo’s Bahay, who caused a stir in the offseason by de-committing from UP and moving over to Ateneo. When he first entered the game in the first quarter, he was met with a smattering of boos from the UP crowd.
The booing was something UP’s JD Cagulangan, Bahay’s fellow Cebuano, wishes hadn’t happened. “First of all, I feel bad for Jared,” Cagulangan said. “Noong lumabas ang mukha niya sa screen, iyong ibang fans bi-noo siya. Ang pangit ng simula niya sa UAAP.
“Wala naman akong against kay Jared kung maglaro siya sa ibang school. Gusto ko lang malaman niya na kami, team ng UP, wala kaming problema sa kanya. Kung saan school niya gusting maglaro, okay lang sa amin.”
Bahay declined to comment on the booing, and it certainly didn’t appear to bother him. He led his team in scoring with 13 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. He wasn’t afraid to assert himself on offense, taking 11 shots, and was one of only two Blue Eagles who had a positive plus-minus (+1).
Bahay said he had no problem playing in front of over 12,000 fans under the bright lights of the Big Dome. “Siguro, expect ko na iyon. Bright lights, big crowd. Fi-nace ko lang ang challenge na binigay sa akin.”
Baldwin also heaped praise on his prized rookie.
“I think Jared’s got to take the mantle of the on-court leader more. The team’s only going to respond collectively with a good chemistry as much as I think when he’s out there and he leads them to do that. And he’s capable of that. He is a very good leader. His talent, that will be evident throughout the season. But he’s still a young player. He’s still going to make mistakes.”
QMB also looked good
On the UP side, their most hyped newcomer, center Quentin Millora-Brown, played like the veteran that he is. He wasn’t much on an offensive threat, taking just six shots and scoring seven points, but he lorded it over the boards with 17 rebounds.
“I think it was an exciting first game for me,” said QMB, who has extensive US collegiate playing experience. “I’m glad that we got the win because that’s the most important thing as a team. We just want to keep playing, and I think that we’re going to keep improving as the season goes along.”
Millora-Brown started for the Fighting Maroons, and while he got off to an uneven start when he missed his first two free throws, he soon settled down and was a force in the paint against the smaller Ateneo frontline.
“For me, the focus was just on playing as a team,” QMB said when asked about his game-high 17 boards. “You know, the rebounds and points come. It could be my night, one night. It could be Francis (Lopez). It could be anyone’s night. You know, we have a really talented team. So, for me, just, I focus on winning. Whatever it takes to win. Whatever the team asks of me on each day.”
Millora-Brown wasn’t the only UP newcomer who had a good UAAP debut. Rookie Jacob Bayla started and hit the first basket of the UAAP season, a triple that got him really hyped. Dikachi Ududo, the team’s new foreign student athlete, had seven points in around 10 minutes.
UP coach Goldwin Monteverde was pleased with his newcomers’ performances.
“Well, I believe each one did their role in helping the team win the game. And for me, as we progress, at the same time, my rookies will really improve. And it’s important, improving the way we play together is our ultimate goal as the tournament progresses.”
Banner Image from UAAP Media Bureau.