Zavier Lucero imposed his will against Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) as University of the Philippines (UP) completed a 83-57 blowout in the 2022 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup Friday at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
All of the Fighting Maroons' wins have come by double-digits, with this latest one led by Lucero's 22 points on top of 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals off the bench.
Henry Galinato and Carl Tamayo chimed in 12 and 11 markers, respectively, as their side shot 49.3 percent from the field, including a 58-22 edge in points in the paint.
True to form, head coach Goldwin Monteverde is staying level-headed even as UP is the first and only team with 5 wins, standing perfect and ahead of the pack in Group A.
"Right now, hindi pa 'to yung gusto naming peak ng team. Si James [Spencer], wala pa, so that's another key player we're waiting on. Right now, we've won five games, pero iniisip pa rin namin to prepare more for the coming UAAP Season 85," he said.
On the other hand, the Generals dropped to 2-2, as Nat Cosejo was the lone player in double-digits with 11 points.
The scores:
UP 83 -- Lucero 22, Galinato 12, Tamayo 11, Fortea 9, Alarcon 8, Diouf 8, Cagulangan 6, Torculas 4, Abadiano 2, Catapusan 1, Ramos 0.
EAC 57 -- Cosejo 11, Luciano 8, Angeles 7, Vista 7, Cosa 6, Bajon 6, Dominguez 6, Umpad 4, Cabujat 2, Tolentino 0.
Quarters: 22-15, 40-30, 61-43, 83-57.
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