Maroons rout Chinese Taipei squad in overseas preseason tourney

MANILA, Philippines -- The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons kicked off their final preseason campaign ahead of the UAAP Season 87 with an 82-47 drubbing of Chinese Taipei's U22 Elite Team on Saturday, August 24, at the Keelung Stadium.

In their final preseason tourney before the collegiate season starts, UP looked sharp and primed to make some noise once the UAAP men’s basketball wars starts next month.

Dikachi Ududo and Quentin Millora-Brown shone bright for the Fighting Maroons as the group dominated almost every aspect of the game against the young Chinese Taipei squad.

Following back-to-back runner-up finishes in the UAAP, UP is sharpening their tools ahead of the new season against top teams from Chinese Taipei and Thailand.

The tourney started on Saturday, August 24, and will run until August 31.

“We are aware of the expectations and we welcome them, but our focus has been in getting better each game,” UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde said.

They will still face Thailand's Bangkok University, Asian University Basketball Championship Representative Team, Bank of Taiwan, Changhua BLL, Taiwan Beer, and the TPBL team in the week-long, single-round robin tournament.

This is the team’s third overseas trip in the preseason after training camps in Serbia and Korea.

The Fighting Maroons will try to get back on top of the food chain with a loaded squad led by JD Cagulangan, Harold Alarcon and Francis Lopez.