File photo by Martin San Diego

University of the East – sans star guard Roi Sumang – had enough firepower to pull off a wire-to-wire rout of league laggard University of the Philippines, 68-48, to join UST in fifth place to open up their slate of second round contests in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 77 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.

Sumang, who sprained his right ankle during their first-round ending win against UST, was deliberately left off the active roster for the game by Head Coach Derrick Pumaren to rest his injured foot.

Nonetheless, the Red Warriors had enough weapons to end UP’s short-lived euphoria after ending their 27-game losing skid, which was even immortalized in a bonfire celebration at the school’s Diliman campus.

Charles Mammie carried the Red Warriors’ banner with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Dan Alberto – who started in the place of the injured Sumang, waxed hot with nine points in UE’s 18-7 first quarter surge – amounted for 11.

“We know that we’re right behind the four teams in the upper half. But as I’ve told the guys, we’re trying to catch up [against] the two, three, and four right now. So, those would be very important and we got to take games quarter-by-quarter, game-by-game, and UP is the first step,” said UE mentor Derrick Pumaren.

“We’ve gone over the hump against UST after losing four straight games and we needed this win, and we’re playing against Ateneo on Wednesday,” he added.

Mikee Reyes finished with 19 points, while Kyles Lao added 10 for the Fighting Maroons. They remain anchored at seventh position with a 1-7 record for the tournament.

UE’s second consecutive win gives them a tie for fifth place with a 4-4 won-lost mark.