THE University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons capped off its unbeaten run in the Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup with a championship after defeating the La Salle Green Archers, 69-66, in the finals on June 12 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Down by 20 points at halftime, UP got its act together, tightened its defense, and rode the hot fourth-period shooting of veteran guard Gerry Abadiano to get the win against its UAAP rivals and capture its second straight Filoil Preseason Cup title.
“Nung halftime, sabi sa amin, ‘di kami nakaka-shoot and nawawala rin yung depensa namin. Buti pagbalik namin ng second half, binounce back namin yun,” Abadiano, who scored the bulk of his 12 points in the final stanza, said. “Para sa akin lang, wag kami tumigil, tuloy-tuloy lang sa pag-improve.”
Point guard JD Cagulangan fired 13 markers and tallied five boards and four assists. High-leaper Francis Lopez contributed eight points and 12 boards. Both Cagulangan and Lopez were also named to the Mythical Five alongside Far Eastern University’s Veejay Pre, La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao, and Cebuano guard Jonathan Manalili, who’s playing for Letran.
Quiambao, the Smart Sports Season MVP, spearheaded La Salle with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, but missed two triples in the last seven minutes that would’ve made a difference. CJ Austria also added 14 markers of his own for the Green Archers, who settled for silver in the preseason showcase. / JNP