No more 0-14 season, Fighting Maroons trip Red Warriors

After almost two years, University of the Philippines celebrated a victory in the UAAP men's basketball tournament. UP ended its 18-game slide on Thursday as the Fighting Maroons pulled off a 69-61 win over University of the East at the Araneta Coliseum. The boys from Diliman last won a game on August 22, 2009 when it defeated De La Salle, 83-78, at The Arena in San Juan. The Fighting Maroons finished Season 73 with a 0-14 record. "The feeling is more relieved than anything else. It feels good," said UP coach Ricky Dandan. Mike Silungan, who scored 15 points and had four steals to win his first game in his two-year collegiate career, is hoping to get more victories this season. "This is a new season. It feels good to win but you can't stop working. This is only a motivation to win again." Mike Gamboa led the Fighting Maroons with 19 points, dished out six assists and had two steals while Jet Manuel added 13 markers. The Fighting Maroons raced to a 22-11 lead at the end of the first quarter and were never threatened after that. "In the end, our defense made the difference. We scored but we didn't allow them to score in bundles so that kept them at bay," said Dandan. Paul Zamar, one of the few remnants of the Paul Lee-era UE squad, had 14 points and was the lone double digit scorer for the Red Warriors. He shot 1-of-8 from the three-point range. UE's frustration showed when Lord Casajeros was thrown out after committing a hard foul against Anjelo Montecastro late in the match. - Reuben Terrado/JVP, GMA News