National University Nazareth School raised its intensity in the second half to drub defending champion University of the East, 83-64, and extend its perfect run to 13 in the UAAP Season 88 Junior High School Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Bullpups are now just one win away from an elimination-round sweep, which would give them an outright berth to the best-of-three finals.
Earlier, University of Santo Tomas dismantled Ateneo de Manila University, 100-81, in wire-to-wire fashion to improve its record to 9-3, taking solo second via a half-game lead over idle Far Eastern University-Diliman and a Final Four spot following NUNS’s victory.
From a 45-38 lead early in the third quarter, Mark Arzola, Moussa Diakite, Dean Tria, and David Sabareza combined for a 14-0 run, building a 59-38 cushion for the Bullpups with 6:02 remaining in the period.
That third-quarter surge proved insurmountable, as the Bullpups eventually led by as much as 81-50 with 3:51 left, capped by Jaypee Yanga’s jumper.
As the prospect of a finals ticket draws nearer, NUNS coach Leo Pujante is eager to keep his players sharp despite long breaks.
“Kung saka-sakali na ma-sweep namin, ang tagal ng two weeks,” said Pujante. “November 23 last game namin, December 10 ata yung game one — ang layo. Hahanap kami ng mga tuneup games.
“Mataas talaga ang morale ng mga bata ngayon. They’re on a high morale, yun lang ang masasabi ko. Kaya lang problema lang natin yung break. This week, break din kami isang linggo. Sunday pa kami against UST.”
Diakite led the Bullpups with 24 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Arzola’s 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Yanga, who did not play in the first half, went 6-of-6 from the field to finish with 12 points and four rebounds.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
NUNS’ depth proved key against UE, contributing 43 bench points compared to the Junior Warriors’ 11. The Bullpups also dominated inside, posting 58 points in the paint to UE’s 34.
Meanwhile, the Tiger Cubs continued their strong run with back-to-back wins, starting hot against the Blue Eagles and building a 43-23 lead at the 6:07 mark of the second quarter, thanks to baskets from Wayne Anggot, Miguel Jubilado, CJ Tabbuga, Hanns Villacarlos, Dave Regala, Dats Datu, and Rowie Cabañero.
UST maintained control in the second half, stretching the lead to a peak of 76-52 with 2:09 left in the third quarter on a Tabbuga layup assisted by Cabañero.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“Maganda yung nilaro ng mga players today,” said UST coach Noli Mejos. “Good preparation ito for our next game kasi last two games namin ay crucial. Masaya ako dahil pinakita nila yung preparation namin. Lumabas yung laro nila, nag-prepare kami (at) naging positive ang reaction sa game today.”
The Tiger Cubs are now on a three-game winning streak, scoring at least 100 points per game with an average winning margin of 31.67 points. This was also their second victory over Ateneo, following an 83-74 win on October 11 in the first round.
Tabbuga led UST with 27 points and eight assists, while Castro added 18 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Other key contributors were Regala (13 points, nine rebounds, three steals), Anggot (13 points), and Cabañero (10 points, 11 rebounds).
The UST starters—Tabbuga, Castro, Anggot, Cabañero, and Jubilado—dictated the pace, scoring 74 points compared to Ateneo’s 37. The Tiger Cubs also out-rebounded the Blue Eagles 60-43 and shot 8-of-30 from three-point range, while Ateneo made just 1-of-18.
For UE, Zion Aguilar had 19 points, Goodluck Okebata added 13 points and six rebounds, and Mark Perdigon contributed 10 points and four rebounds. The Junior Warriors are fourth with a 7-6 record.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Migo Yoro led Ateneo with 13 points, followed by Domeng Ngo and JD Juangco, who scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Scores:
First Game
UST (100) – Tabbuga 27, Castro 18, Regala 13, Anggot 13, Cabañero 10, Datu 7, Jubilado 6, Bathan 5, Villacarlos 1, Demata 0, Retaga 0.
Ateneo (81) – M. Yoro 13, Ngo 12, Juangco 11, Divinagracia 8, Ylen 8, Saw 7, Castro 6, Llavore 6, Bernarte 4, G. Yoro 2, Hwang 2, Cayabyab 2, Fresnido 0, Dela Rosa 0, David 0.
Quarterscores: 35-18, 50-38, 78-55, 100-81.
Second Game
NUNS (83) – Diakite 24, Arzola 13, Yanga 12, Tria 8, Khobuntin 6, Sabareza 5, Manalo 5, Romero 5, Peña 3, Gatumbato 2, Liwanag 0, Lalong-Isip 0, Santiago 0, Sinda 0, Geron 0, Enriquez 0.
UE (64) – Aguilar 19, Okebata 13, Perdigon 10, Mallabo 9, Felizmenia 5, Mesa 4, Delos Santos 2, Pontipedra 2, Ancheta 0, Roxas 0, Mercado 0.
Quarterscores: 17-17, 43-35, 67-46, 83-64.
