UP guard JD Cagulangan. Photo from UAAP Images.

MANILA (UPDATED) — The University of the Philippines (UP) hit two birds with one stone on Saturday, ending its losing skid as well as the Final 4 aspirations of Far Eastern University,

JD Cagulangan made timely baskets as the Fighting Maroons eliminated the Tamaraws through their 86-78 win at the San Juan Arena in their UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournament faceoff. 

Cagulangan hit the three-point dagger to complete his 12 markers with seven rebounds and four assists, and he also scored nine of the last 11 points of State U.

Gerry Abadiano led all scorers with 19 points, four boards, and two steals, while Aldous Torculas posted 11 markers and six boards, and these performances were hailed by UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.

"'Pag nagdaan ka sa ganong sitwasyon, losing two games, then having this kind of game, nakikita natin that everybody's really fighting hard and trying to overcome whatever comes our way in this game," he said during the postgame presser.

"This gets us ready kung ano man yung haharapin namin towards the end of the season, so whatever circumstance, basta lumaban lang, may mangyayari na maganda para sayo," he continued.

After Monteverde's boys squandered a 62-46 lead in the third quarter, as Abadiano's trey at the 5-minute mark of that frame pushed their lead to 16, Cagulangan answered the call for the Maroons.

Only ahead by three, 81-78, as FEU refused to let go of their Final 4 hopes through a strong run late in the third and throughout the fourth, Cagulangan converted a step-back triple with only 27.6 on the clock, and this eventually closed the door on the erstwhile playoff-seeking Tamaraws.

This, according to Coach Gold, was a matter of UP making adjustments much like how the Tamaraws responded to their hot shooting in the third.

"Kasama naman yun sa game, yung mag a-adjust yung kabila, and on our part, we  Hand, try our best to meet or overcome kung ano man yung binibigay samin," he said. 

"It falls sa part namin to be consistent din sa mga pina-practice namin araw-araw and translate it during the game. Para sa'kin malaking bagay yung growth namin as a team," he added. 

On the other hand, the Tamaraws, who concluded Season 87 with a 5-9 record, were led by Jorick Bautista, Janrey Pasaol, Veejay Pre, and Mo Konateh who scored 16, 15, 15, and 11, respectively. 

THE SCORES:

UP 86 — Abadiano 19, Cagulangan 12, Lopez 12, Torculas 11, Torres 7, Millora-Brown 7, Fortea 6, Felicilda 3, Alarcon 3, Bayla 2, Stevens 2, Belmonte 2, Briones 0, Ududo 0.

FEU 78 — Bautista 16, Pasaol 16, Pre 16, Konateh 11, Alforque 9, Montemayor 7, Daa 3, Ona 2, Bagunu 0.

Quarterscores: 22-16, 42-39, 67-62, 86-78