National University held their ground in their first game in UAAP Season 84 as they gutted out a narrow 71-69 victory over Adamson University on Saturday at SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
And two of their rookies were quick to introduce themselves after producing solid performances in their respective debuts at the collegiate level.
A former Bullpup in Janjan Felicilda led the team in scoring with 14 points to go with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Meanwhile, UAAP Season 82 High School Boys’ MVP Jake Figueroa contributed seven points, eight rebounds, and two assists in 16 minutes played.
Despite the impressive outings from his rookies, Bulldogs head coach Jeff Napa still wants his squad to play better and improve, especially as they brace for their upcoming matchups moving forward.
“Kailangan pa rin namin mag-improve dahil coming from the last quarter, we had a big lead. Then we struggled pagdating ng fourth quarter,” said Napa, a former head coach of the Bullpups and Letran. “Siguro ‘yung execution ‘yung kailangan naming i-correct, although win is a win.
“Luckily we got that win pero ‘di kami puwedeng maging complacent coming into the next games kasi unpredictable ‘yung season ngayon. Talagang very competitive lahat ng schools kaya hindi puwedeng i-take for granted bawat isa.”
Even after leading the team in scoring, Felicilda was quick to deflect credit. He claimed that he only played the role given to him in order to get them their first win of the season.
“Para sa akin po, kung ano po ‘yung ibibigay na role sa’kin ni Coach Jeff… Kasi ‘yun nga sabi niya ‘di lang naman ako ‘yung player sa NU eh,” said the 19-year-old native of Bayugan, Agusan del Sur.
“Marami po kami kaya siguro suwerte lang po sa araw na ‘to. Kaya kailangan ‘kong mag-step up para manalo po kami at nagtiwala lang po ako kay Coach Jeff.”
Figueroa then echoed the sentiment of his teammate after facing his former Adamson team in his first game at the collegiate level.
“May kasamang pressure at nervousness dahil first time kong maglaro sa seniors. Tapos kalaban ko pa ‘yung school ko nung juniors,” the Pampanga native admitted.
“Nag step-up lang ako at sumandal ako sa sistema na pinapagawa ng coach namin, lalo na nagtiwala lang ako sa mga coaches.”
After getting their first victory, the Bulldogs (1-0) will aim to sustain their momentum. They face the De La Salle University at 4:00 PM on Tuesday at SM Mall of Asia Arena.
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