DEFENDING champion University of the Philippines outlasted Ateneo in overtime, 76-71, in a thrilling Finals rematch to gain a piece of the lead in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Carl Tamayo, getting a huge break from a goaltending violation by Ange Kouame, completed a huge three-point play at the 1:47 mark to give the Fighting Maroons a 71-66 lead when the Blue Eagles made a last-gasp fightback, cutting the deficit to 71-73 on a Forthsky Padrigao.

After Tamayo could only split his charities to give his team a three-point lead in the final 18 seconds, Ateneo tried to turn things around in the dwindling seconds but it could not convert.

Tamayo finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and three assists as UP moved in a tie with National University on top with a 4-1 record.

The Fighting Maroons opened the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run capped by a James Spencer triple to erect a 63-56 lead with 7:40 remaining.

The Blue Eagles countered with a telling 8-1 salvo, with Padrigao tying the game at 64-64 with a three-pointer with 36.7 seconds left in regulation.

After Tamayo committed a turnover, Ateneo tried to steal the win, but Padrigao missed a triple in the dwindling seconds.

Earlier, University of the East moved in a tie with La Salle and Ateneo in third place at 3-2 following a 78-68 triumph of University of Santo Tomas.

Aside from logging their first winning streak since 2019, it was also the Red Warriors’ first victory against the Growling Tigers since October 7, 2017 – a 86-81 first round win.

In women’s action, Tacky Tacatac fired 27 points while Eka Soriano had 20 points, eight assists, eight steals and seven rebounds as UST overwhelmed UE, 107-44, to join La Salle in second place at 4-1.

Kacey dela Rosa tallied 30 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocks while Jhaz Joson had 11 points, 11 boards and 10 assists – the first triple-double in the distaff side since NU’s Ria Nabalan did the trick in 2017 – as Ateneo regained its winning ways with a 67-61 conquest of UP, tying its victims and Adamson at 2-3.

Missing the first four games due to a leg injury, Season 84 Finals MVP JD Cagulangan made his debut, checking in the 4:52 mark of the first period. He made his presence felt two minutes later by converting a four-point play off a Kai Ballungay foul.

LA Villegas recorded a double-double outing of 17 points and 13 rebounds to go with six assists and three steals while Nico Paranada also scored 17 points to go with six boards and four assists for the Red Warriors.

The Growling Tigers lost Senegal’s Adama Faye late in the third quarter for swinging an elbow on Harvey Pagsanjan that led to his ejection at the 2:01 mark.

UST, which drew 19 points and 14 rebounds from Nic Cabañero, has now lost four in a row after a season-opening conquest of Adamson.

The back-to-back wins will be a good springboard for UE in its showdown with UP on Wednesday.

“For sure naman everything na coming off a win, siyempre magandang start iyon going into the next game. So hopefully this game, we will bring us more intensity in our practice tomorrow (today) and hopefully, we will match up on our Wednesday’s game against the defending champions,” said Red Warriors coach Jack Santiago.

The scores:

First game

UE (78) — Villegas 17, N. Paranada 17, Antiporda 13, Stevens 11, Pagsanjan 5, Payawal 5, K. Paranada 4, Sawat 4, Abatayo 2, Beltran 0, Remogat 0, Guevarra 0, Alcantara 0, Langit 0, Lingo-lingo 0.
UST (68) — Cabañero 19, Lazarte 12, Faye 11, Manalang 9, Pangilinan 8, Manaytay 5, Duremdes 2, Calimag 1, Mantua 1, Garing 0, Herrera 0.
Quarterscores: 10-13, 28-29, 55-49, 78-68.

Second Game

UP (76) — Tamayo 20, Spencer 14, Diouf 12, Lucero 10, Cagulangan 7, Abadiano 6, Galinato 4, Fortea 3, Gonzales 0, Alarcon 0, Calimag 0.
Ateneo (71) — Ildefonso 22, Padrigao 15, Kouame 10, Andrade 9, Ballungay 8, Koon 5, Chiu 2, Lazaro 0, Gomez 0, Garcia 0, Quitevis 0.
Quarterscores: 18-14, 33-38, 53-54, 64-64, 76-71.