The UP Fighting Maroons opened their UAAP Season 81 campaign with a commanding 87-58 victory over the UE Red Warriors Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
"This is just the start. I'm happy we're able to get this win and hope we could capitalize on this momentum," said UP head coach Bo Perasol.
Bright Akhuetie debuted with a double double of 15 points and 18 rebounds, to go with three blocks and two assists. Veteran guard Paul Desiderio also shone with 12 points, 10 boards, and three dimes.
Three other Fighting Maroons scored in double digits, led by Juan Gomez de Liaño with 16 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Jun Manzo and Javi Gomez de Liaño delivered 14 and 10 points, respectively.
A strong second half surge allowed the Fighting Maroons to break a 33-all halftime deadlock. UP began pulling away with a 25-12 third quarter before completely dominating in the final canto.
UP opened the fourth with an 11-3 blitz capped by an and-one play by Jun Manzo to build a 70-48 lead. The gap continued to balloon as the Fighting Maroons pounced on the hapless Red Warriors. Gelo Vito's seven straight points put UP on top by 31 points before they cemented the win.
"Well, it took us two quarters to figure out. We had a long talk in the dugout talking about our first and second quarter when they played zone on us," explained Perasol. "It's probably part of the first game jitters, but we just had to remind ourselves that we know what to do."
Alvin Pasaol was the lone double-digit scorer for UE with 14 points but he had to take a total of 18 shots. As a team, the Red Warriors only shot 22 out of 67 attempts. They also got clobbered on the boards, 53-35.
This 29-point rout is the most lopsided opening game victory in the UAAP since UE secured an 87-59 victory over UP back in 2014.