At long last, the UE Red Warriors are finally back in the win column.

UE took a 53-47 victory over the AdU Soaring Falcons, limiting their opponent to only three points in the fourth quarter on 1-of-17 shooting to tie the second-lowest single-quarter total by a team in league history. 

The historic win by the Red Warriors ended a two-year, 30-game losing streak, the league’s second-longest of all time. It was the program’s first win since the second round of UAAP Season 87, when they beat the NU Bulldogs in October 2024. This lifted UE’s record to 1-10 this season.

The Red Warriors scored the first eight points of the game and stretched their lead to 19-7 by the 3:04 mark of the first quarter–its largest of the game at 12 points–and they finished the first quarter ahead by 10, 21-11. Mo Tanedo scored eight of those 21 points in the opening period. That fast start was crucial in securing the win as it gave UE a much-needed cushion for when the Soaring Falcons eventually tried to rally back.

AdU’s one lead of the game came late in the third quarter, when a 7-1 run and a jumper from Allen Perez gave them a one-point edge, 40-39, with 1:21 left in the period. The Red Warriors then answered with a 7-4 stretch to take a 46-44 lead heading into the fourth.

Both teams struggled in the final period, with UE shooting just 2-of-18 for seven points in the final period, but they made them count. Toper Lagat made two free throws and a layup to push the lead to 50-44, and the Soaring Falcons’ only field goal of the quarter–a three by Matt Erolon–cut it to 50-47. 

With 42 seconds left, the Red Warriors grabbed a defensive rebound and ran the clock down to 19 seconds. JM Edoukou and Drew Jimenez each followed with an offensive rebound, and Edoukou’s layup made it 52-47. Tanedo made one of two free throws with five seconds left to seal it.

Edoukou was the most impactful player for UE, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a +/- of plus-11. Lagat was impactful too with 14 points and 7-of-9 shooting on free throws on seven fouls drawn. After his hot start, Tanedo finished with 14–eight of them coming in the first quarter.

The Red Warriors are out of the running for the Final Four, but they still have three games left, against the UST Growling Tigers, NU and the ADMU Blue Eagles. 

While those games no longer carry playoff stakes, more wins would help UE build toward the coming seasons as the program works to restore its respectability. It was an ugly win, but a win nonetheless. Holding a team to three points in a quarter is a serious achievement and should form the foundational proof for this program that their turnaround can start on defense.