Games on July 12 (Araneta Coliseum)
2 p.m. — UP vs NU
4 p.m. — Ateneo vs FEU

University of the East made its late athletic director Rolando "Brenn" Perez proud as the Warriors put together a shocking demolition of La Salle, 65-46, on Saturday to open the 72nd UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.

The Red Warriors kicked themselves into high gear by holding the always-formidable Green Archers to a dismal 24 percent shooting and three points in the final period where they led by 22 points to close out the game.

Stunned by the untimely death of Perez, head coach Lawrence Chongson made sure the squad kept its focus in check.

"To be honest, we tried not to not talk about it and we just concentrated on the game," said Chongson, who won his first game as UE mentor. "Although we never had a chance to bond but I knew he was a hardworker."

Pari Llagas and Paul Lee led the Red Warriors' attack with 15 and 11 points, apiece, even as Paul Zamar and Elmer Espiritu chipped in nine markers, respectively.

It was La Salle's worst defeat since July 22, 2007, when it lost to UE by 20 points, 96-76. It was also their worst point output since dropping a 70-52 contest to Far Eastern University last August 14, 2004.

In the other game, University of Santo Tomas drew a huge game from Khazim Mirza to escape a nail-biter past resilient Adamson, 76-75.

Mirza, hoping to bounce back from a dismal campaign last season, shook off a 1-of-8 shooting from the three-point range by making 8-of-11 shots from inside the arc to finish with 23 points in 33 minutes.

He also got help from sophomore guard Clark Bautista with 11 points and national team member Dylan Ababou with 10 points and seven rebounds despite battling cramps in the latter stages. Allen Maliksi and Chris Camus chipped in nine and eight points, respectively.

"Ang pinakasarap dito ay manalo ka sa unang game, at least sa scoreboard 1-0 ka na. Sana tuloy tuloy na ito," said UST head coach Pido Jarencio, who is now rebuilding the team without former league MVP Jervy Cruz.

UST, however, was given a big scare by the Falcons who rallied from 13 points down in the third quarter behind Jerick Canada and rookie Roider Cabrera.

The Falcons, however, fell short as Cabrera bungled four consecutive treys including an open shot with six seconds left.

"Medyo passive kami, naghehesitate kami at hindi umaatake pero first game pa lang naman kailangan din magadjust," said Jarencio.

The scores:

First Game
UST76 — Mirza 23, Bautista 11, Ababou 10, Maliksi 9, Camus 8, Afuang 5, Green 4, Teng 3, Fortuna 3, Ungria 0, Mariano 0, Aytona 0.

ADAMSON 75 — Colina 16, Canada 14, Cabrera 11, Alvarez 11, Nuyles 8, Galinato 8, Santos 5, Lozada 2, Sandoval 0, Canuday 0, Camson 0.

Quarters: 24-16, 43-41, 66-55, 76-75.

Second Game
UE65 — Llagas 15, Lee 11, Zamar 9, Espiritu 9, Lingganay 6, Reyes 5, Acuan 4, Ayala 2, Alabanza 2, Acibar 2, Tagarda 0.

LA SALLE 46 — Mangahas 9, Marata 7, Barua 7, Webb 5, Malabes 5, Villanueva 4, Ferdinand 3, Tolentino 2, Co 2, Bringas 2, Bagatsing 0, Atkins 0, Andrada 0.

Quarters: 9-10, 30-24, 43-35, 65-46.