After missing the UAAP Final Four for 20 straight seasons, the UP Fighting Maroons string their fourth straight finals appearance, according to statistican Pong Ducanes.
The UP Fighting Maroons secured a spot in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball Finals with a 78-69 victory over the UST Growling Tigers on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Quentin Millora-Brown anchored UP’s charge, earning Player of the Game honors with nine points, 19 rebounds, and four blocks. Harold Alarcon followed up his career-high 33-point game with a solid 16-point performance.
The Fighting Maroons turned the tide with a massive 21-4 run in the third quarter, flipping a four-point deficit into an 11-point lead.
UST’s hopes dimmed further when Forthsky Padrigao, their top playmaker, was ejected in the fourth quarter due to a second unsportsmanlike foul.
JD Cagulangan delivered the finishing blow with a clutch basket, pushing UP’s lead to eight with just over a minute left.
UP now heads to its fourth straight Finals, awaiting its challenger.