Triton Men dominate at “Love and Basketball” Tournament

Triton Men dominate at “Love and Basketball” Tournament

Triton Men dominate at “Love and Basketball” Tournament


2/9/2022

Basketball player taking a shot at a tournament
Kyle Gilinug takes a shot for the Tritons at the “Love and Basketball” Tournament held on Feb. 6 at the Vicente S.A. Benavente Middle School Gym.

After starting their season with a tournament loss and a shortage of players, the University of Guam Triton Men’s Basketball Team made a major comeback on Sunday. The Tritons showed up with a full squad of 14 players and produced two victories at the “Love and Basketball” Tournament held at the Vicente S.A. Benavente Middle School Gym.

In their opening game, UOG took on Team Acdavate and won 64-45. The Tritons took control of the game in the first half and survived an early run by Team Acdavate — securing their first easy win of the season. Diane’ “D” Blackmon led the Tritons with 17 points while Ike Solomon added 14 points.  

Players running up basketball court
Tritons’ Cisco Uncangco drives for UOG at the “Love and Basketball” Tournament held on Feb. 6 at the Vicente S.A. Benavente Middle School Gym.

Their second game of the tournament was a hard-fought battle against Team F.O.E. The Tritons were eager to play them again after Team F.O.E. knocked the Tritons out of the “Take It 2 the South” tournament in January.  

Team F.O.E. gained a quick 8-0 lead to open the game, but the Tritons came back to even up the score. It was a back-and-forth game until the last few minutes when the Tritons managed to secure an eight-point lead.  

However, Team F.O.E. didn’t surrender and came back to cut the lead to three points. The Tritons had a hard time keeping possession of the ball, but they were able to run the clock out for the win. Matt Santos led the Tritons with 15 points while the team’s two 6’4” players, Darryl Robles and Diane’ “D” Blackmon, contributed a total of 21 points.  

UOG advances to the winners bracket final on Sunday to play team MicroFriends at 3 p.m. UOG has a chance to win the tournament if they can manage two straight wins. If the Tritons lose the winners bracket final, they will have to win three consecutive games to win the championship.  

All UOG games are recorded and posted on the Triton Athletics YouTube channel.