Terrence Fortea has long been a reliable soldier for the UP Fighting Maroons. Against University of Santo Tomas on Sunday evening, Oct. 13, he made it count in every possession despite his limited playing time in the UAAP Season 87.

Fortea, who came off the bench, knew how to take over when he was needed to anchor the State U to a bounce back 83-73 victory over the Growling Tigers at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Just being ready and, sabi ko nga ano mang bibigay na depensa, pero wala namang finorce do’n,” said Fortea, who tallied 16 points including his timely two triples in payoff period that created enough separation and seal the deal for UP.

“Siguro ‘yon lang ‘yong binigay ng depensa do’n kaya tinira kolang,” he added.

Also taking charge for the Katipunan-based squad's offensive rally were Francis Lopez (20), Harold Alarcon (11) and Quentin Millora-Brown as they spearheaded the Fighting Maroons’ fourth quarter surge to get away over the Growling Tigers. They improved to seven wins against a lone loss.

Fortea was seen flashing his old form, dropping crucial baskets for UP which head coach Goldwin Monteverde was proud of.

“Of course, I'm very happy and proud of Terrence, his first three seasons, he was in and out in and out of the game. He never had that rhythm that he should have,” said Monteverde. “But then, I saw him work hard every practice.”

Currently tied with reigning champion La Salle, UP will return to action next Sunday, Oct. 20, where it faces the struggling NU (2-6) at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.