UP hands Ateneo its first UAAP men’s basketball loss

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons just dealt the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles a harsh reality check after dominating them during their UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament showdown, 83-69, on Oct. 8, 2025, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

With the clinical victory, the Fighting Maroons became the first school to taint Ateneo’s previously perfect record, banking on a second-half mastery to emerge victorious in the first clash of the “Battle of Katipunan.”

After facing a seven-point deficit midway through the second quarter, the Fighting Maroons leaned on a personal scoring avalanche from veteran guard Harold Alarcon, who single-handedly pulled UP back in the driver’s seat at the half, 40-38.

Alarcon was a one-man wrecking machine for the Fighting Maroons, dropping 15 of his 17 total points in the first half that helped UP avert an early disaster against the rolling Blue Eagles.

However, it was in the third frame where UP distanced themselves from Ateneo as they surged to a momentum-boosting 24-11 run that proved to be the early exclamation point in the highly anticipated duel.

Picking up where Alarcon left off was the 1-2 punch of Francis Nnoruka and Rey Remogat as the duo combined for 22 markers that ballooned UP’s lead to 15 points heading into the fourth and final quarter.

Nnoruka, UP’s foreign student-athlete, scattered 15 points in that period alone, while Remogat added seven that comprised more than half of the Fighting Maroons’ third-quarter scoring rampage.

Unfortunately, the Blue Eagles failed to inject their clutch DNA — just like in their wins against FEU and DLSU — and could only watch the UAAP defending champions dissect them for the last 20 minutes of the ball game.

“Well, for me, iyong preparation namin for this game, lagi naming pinag-uusapan. It’s just one part of it,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde after the win.

Nnoruka led UP with a performance for the ages after tallying 28 points built from an efficient 9-of-13 shooting from the field, alongside nine rebounds, four steals, and a block.

Meanwhile, Remogat, who completely moved on from a slow UAAP start, delivered an all-around effort of 20 markers, eight dimes, six boards, and two steals.

On the other hand, Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin lauded UP’s competitiveness and physicality, praising them for their toughness throughout the 40-minute affair.

“I just think they’re highly competitive, and I applaud that,” Baldwin said.

“I applaud toughness, I ask our guys to be dogs all the time, and I think the UP coaching staff probably doesn’t have to ask for that very much, because that’s what those guys are.”

UP will look to notch its third consecutive UAAP victory on Oct. 12 against the FEU Tamaraws, while the Blue Eagles aim to rebound on Oct. 11 against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers.