UP routs La Salle, locks up top seed in Filoil Preseason Cup

The undefeated University of the Philippines flexed its size and depth in a commanding 98-69 victory over rival De La Salle University on Monday in San Juan, clinching the No. 1 seed in the UAAP bracket of the 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup.

The Fighting Maroons seized control early, opening with a 9-2 run before extending their lead to 40-23 late in the first half.

UP widened the gap even further after halftime, turning a 48-33 advantage into a 77-44 cushion with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter behind the combined efforts of Veejay Pre, Francis Nnoruka, and Chicco Briones.

The Green Archers never mounted a serious comeback as UP dominated the interior throughout the contest, outscoring La Salle 64-24 in the paint while controlling the rebounding battle, 50-33.

“Definitely. But it’s still up to them to take advantage,” assistant coach Christian Luanzon said when asked if size would be the Fighting Maroons' biggest weapon moving forward. “Today, ang laki ng bagay ng first half because we set the tone.”

Nnoruka led UP with 16 points and four rebounds, while Pre added 13 points and six boards. Briones knocked down three three-pointers to finish with 14 points, while Rey Remogat and Joaquin Tovera combined for 13 points and 11 assists.

The victory improved the Fighting Maroons to 5-0, securing the top seed in the UAAP Group regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's final elimination-round game against Far Eastern University.

La Salle, meanwhile, had its four-game winning streak snapped, dropping to 4-3 while remaining in third place behind 5-1 National University. Jacob Cortez paced the Green Archers with 20 points and nine rebounds.

In the NCAA division, Letran and Mapúa strengthened their bids for the top seed with victories over San Beda and Perpetual, respectively.

The Knights held off a late San Beda rally to escape with a 67-63 win behind an outstanding performance from Titing Manalili, who finished with 20 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Kevin Santos added 13 points and five rebounds as Letran improved to 7-1.

Mapúa matched that record by defeating Perpetual, 67-58.

Lance Nitura starred against his former high school team with 20 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Yam Concepcion contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists as the Cardinals forged a three-way tie atop the NCAA standings with Letran and Jose Rizal University.

San Beda slipped to 6-2 and fell out of contention for the No. 1 seed despite 12 points from Dominic Sarigumba and 11 points each from Zed Etulle and RC Calimag.

Perpetual dropped to 3-5, with Mark Gojo Cruz providing the lone double-digit effort after tallying 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.