THE NUMBERS

University of the Philippines 76, Hakuoh 63 (19-18, 24-26, 11-9, 22-10).

There were 17 lead changes and 6 ties before UP won the 4th quarter 22-10, closing on a 14-4 run over the final 5 minutes. UP outrebounded Hakuoh 54-36 and outscored them 48-30 in the paint.

University of the Philippines

• Points: 17 — Francis Veejay Pre — Player of the Game
• Rebounds: 15 — Francis Veejay Pre, 17-15 double-double
• Assists: 6 — Rey-Adrian Remogat

Hakuoh (白鷗大学)

• Points: 16 — Alim Sakai (境 アリーム)
• Rebounds: 11 — Okakpu Chinedu (オカプ チネドゥ)
• Assists: 5 — Seiga Horiuchi (堀内 星河)

GAME RECAP

The University of the Philippines beat Hakuoh 76-63 in a game neither side led by more than 7 until the final quarter. UP led 19-18 after a first quarter that produced 7 lead changes on its own, and the margin stayed inside a possession for most of the next 30 minutes.

Hakuoh trailed 35-30 midway through the 2nd before outscoring UP 14-8 over the last 5 minutes of the half to lead 44-43 at the break, shooting 50% over the first 20 minutes.

The 3rd quarter was a grind for both sides. Hakuoh made 3 of 15 shots in the period, UP made 5 of 20, and the two teams scored 20 points combined. UP carried a 54-53 lead into the 4th.

UP separated over the last 5 minutes, holding Hakuoh to 4 points down the stretch. Francis Veejay Pre finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting, the largest double-double of AUBL26 so far and the most rebounds by any player through five games. Jacob Bayla added 13 and UP got 31 points from their bench.

Hakuoh scored 44 in the first half and 19 in the second, finishing 8-of-32 from 3. Alim Sakai (境 アリーム) had 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting and Rento Saito (齋藤 蓮人) added 15 in 17 minutes off the bench, but Eijiro Ogawa (小川 瑛次郎) and Haruki Naito (内藤 晴樹) went a combined 2-of-20. Okakpu Chinedu (オカプ チネドゥ) finished with 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

LOOKING AHEAD

UP are through to the knockout round and Hakuoh are out at 0-2, ending their tournament in the group stage a year after finishing 3rd at AUBL25. UP close the group against Korea University on August 4 at 11:30 HKT, with only seeding left to decide.