CJ Cansino delivers a stellar 21-point debut at the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball opener
The Fighting Maroons’ first tussle was rough, but will it make them tougher?
The UP Fighting Maroons dropped its UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball Opener against their Katipunan rivals and reigning champions, the Ateneo Blue Eagles, in a convincing fashion behind the closed doors of the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Blue Eagles started strong, establishing a 15-point lead in the 2:28 mark of the game’s first quarter. The Maroons were able to catch up with their rivals, trimming the latter’s lead by 11, 46–35.
CJ Cansino, one of the Maroon’s much-anticipated players, fired up Goldwyn Monteverde’s squad early on the game’s third quarter with a 6–0 run, cutting the deficit by 5 with 8:20 time remaining.
While the Maroons slowly built up momentum, the Blue Eagles answered back with a 19–5 run, putting the lead back to double digits, 65–46.
UP fought hard in the fourth frame despite being down by as much as 20 points, courtesy of Zavier Lucero’s free throws. This cut the Eagle’s lead by 13, with 2:26 left on the clock, 78–85.
A driven SJ Belangel of the Blue Eagles managed a triple and another two-pointer to establish dominance, 90–79, with the Maroons falling short.
Malick Diouf came close to a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Carl Tamayo contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Coach Monteverde admits the team was challenged as they faced the defending champions in their very first UAAP Basketball comeback game. He emphasized that the team needs to improve on their chemistry for the next games.
UP will face the University of Santo Tomas on Tuesday, March 29 at 7 pm.
