CROWDED LANE. UE's Gab Delos Reyes (No. 18) tries to score against two FEU defenders during the UAAP Season 87 high school basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday (Sept. 18, 2024). The UE Red Warriors won, 82-74, to gain solo lead. (UAAP photo)
MANILA – University of the East defeated Far Eastern University-Diliman, 82-74, to take solo lead in the UAAP Season 87 boys' basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
Gab Delos Reyes, Enrico Bungar, and Ethan Oraa delivered double-digit scores as the Junior Warriors registered their third straight win.
Delos Reyes, a transferee from Lourdes School in Quezon City, paced UE with 18 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.
Bungar chipped in 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals, while Oraa added 11 points and four rebounds for the Junior Warriors, who posted a 67-49 lead at the end of third quarter.
"Just because we beat FEU, it's okay already. We have to instill in the kids that the tournament is still long," UE head coach Andrew Estrella said.
The Baby Tamaraws fought back behind Denden Enriquez's triple and layup to make it 74-79, 1:45 remaining, but the Junior Warriors kept their composure.
“Charge it to experience, don’t be complacent. Even though we had a big lead and we knew FEU’s strength and ability to come back, we just stayed composed,” Estrella said.
CP Miranda finished with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists while Anton Lopez had 11 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and three steals for FEU, which tied De La Salle-Zobel, University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University for second place at 2-1.
Meanwhile, defending champion National University Nazareth School downed University of the Philippines Integrated School, 94-76, in the other game.
Chester Talabut finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists while Nick Peña and David Sabareza chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively, as the Bullpups notched their first win against two losses.
Bruce Tubongbanua had 33 points and Jhustin Hallare added 29 points for UPIS, which dropped its third consecutive game. (PNA)
