THE University of the East Red Warriors finished their season strong after hacking out a 76-73 win over the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons yesterday in the 76th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Graduating player Lord Casajeros proved to be the difference-maker as he shot in a three-pointer that tied the game at 73-all before issuing the assist to Adi Santos in a pick-and-roll sequence that yielded the go-ahead bucket.
The win allowed UE to finish the season with an even 7-7 (win-loss) record while UP ended up without a win for yet another season, duplicating the sorry results of 2007 and 2010. UP had several chances to affect the game’s outcome but couldn’t do so as Raul Soyud missed his final attempt at the final buzzer. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio