THE University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons succeeding in stopping big man Kevin Quiambao in the second half.
For the defending champion La Salle Green Archers and coach Topex Robinson, he felt that the Fighting Maroons wanted badly to win Game 1 of the 87 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball finals.
UP’s defense on the 6’7” Quiambao succeeded as he only managed to score one point in the second half as the Fighting Maroons went on to post a 73-65 triumph in the opener of their best of three finals series on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
“They wanted it more than us. They did a lot of good things, defensively. They played well as a team. We just try to get back in Game 2,” said Robinson after UP stopped their winning streak of four games.
Quiambao, who leads the Season 87 MVP race, made 19 points, but was held to just a point — a technical free throw — in the second half and was forced to commit six turnovers
With Quiambao struggling in the second half, UP moved closer to another title shot.
“They did a great job in stopping KQ (Kevin Quiambao), and we weren’t able to make adjustments down the line. At this point, it’s just for us to learn from this experience,” added Robinson.
The Green Archers will now seek to bounce back in Game 2 on Wednesday, with a win allowing them to force a decisive Game 3.
“The only thing that I told the team is that there’s a reason this is a series. You don’t win the championship by just winning one game. You need to win two games, so we still have a chance,” added Robinson.
