In the UAAP Season 85 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, University of the Philippines managed to defeat University of the East with a score of 84-77.

With 6:13 remaining, the Fighting Maroons went to their shock troopers, who retaliated with a 15-3 barrage that bridged the final two minutes and established a 69-58 advantage.

This safety net came in useful when, in the final 15.3 seconds, CJ Payawal made back-to-back three-pointers and Nikko Paranada scored on a drive to cut UP’s advantage to three, 80-77.

But Malick Diouf was a calm customer on the line, sinking two free throws in the final 14.4 seconds to increase the UP lead to five, 82-77.

The Warriors’ remarkable two-game winning streak was unfortunately ended by Kyle Paranada’s uncharacteristic two-point misses on the other end as Alarcon put the final touches on the Fighting Maroons’ great escape.

According to coach Goldwin Monteverde, who got 30 points from his bench, “Sa squad, yung first group pag di nila makuha yung game, it’s important to know that somebody has their back on the bench and is ready to step up to the moment.”

As UP won back-to-back games to get to 5-1, Terrence Fortea scored 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting from outside the arc, to go with five assists and two rebounds.

JD Cagulangan’s absence was compensated for by the 13 points and two rebounds that Gerry Abadiano contributed.

Carl Tamayo finished the game with 13 points, seven rebounds, and four steals before spraining his ankle in the dying seconds.

Payawal led the Red Warriors with 21 points and five rebounds after draining five three-pointers. In the defeat that dropped UE to a 3-3 record, Nikko Paranada added 20 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while Luis Villegas contributed 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.

The Scores

UP 84 – Tamayo 13, Fortea 13, Abadiano 13, Diouf 8, Spencer 7, Lucero 7, Gonzales 7, Calimag 5, Galinato 4, Ramos 3, Alarcon 2, Lina 2, Torculas 0.

UE 77 – Payawal 21, N. Paranada 20, Villegas 10, Pagsanjan 9, K. Paranada 9, Stevens 3, Antiporda 3, Sawat 2, Beltran 0, Alcantara 0, Remogat 0.

Quarters: 18-13, 38-41, 59-56, 84-77