UP's Andres Desiderio (C) goes to the basket against La Salle's Jason Perkins (L) and Tomas Torres (R). Photo by Mark Cristino for ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA -- The University of the Philippines (UP) proved that its victory over University of the East (UE) last Saturday was no fluke when it turned back De La Salle University, 71-66, at the UAAP men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday.

The Maroons dominated the Green Archers in the first three quarters and quelled La Salle’s uprising in the final period to post their second win of the season.

It was the first time UP scored more than one victory in a season in years. The last time it won back-to-back was in 2006. The victory was also the Maroons’ first against the Season 76 champions since 2009.

It was a close game for both squads in the first quarter, but the Katipunan-based dribblers began padding on its lead by hitting perimeter shots in the second period. By the end of the first half, the Maroons were already up, 41-28.

Jeron Teng and Jason Perkins tried to stop the bleeding for the Archers but this didn't stop UP from erecting a 13-point lead.

The Maroons appeared to be cruising to an easy victory in the fourth quarter but Josh Caracut and Prince Rivero managed to pull the Archers to within eight points.

Rivero split his charities to make it a five-point game for La Salle, 59-64, with over a minute remaining.

After Jett Manuel’s free throw, Teng managed to pull off a tough shot to bring UP’s lead down to four, 65-61, with 45 seconds to go.

Andrew Harris and Henri Asilum connected their free throws to extend the lead for UP, 69-61, but La Salle refused to go away as Caracut stretched for a layup to keep the Archers' hopes alive.

UP, however, managed to hold off the Taft-based dribblers in the end.

With the help of rookie coach Rensy Bajar, the Maroons now occupy the top spot of the standings with a 2-0 win-loss record.