Engr. Patrick Yu admitted that he needed Jeff Napa’s tongue-lashing to make clutch shots and propel National University to an 80-77 victory over De La Salle University in overtime in the UAAP Season 86 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
With the score tied at 69-all, the licensed civil engineer scored five unanswered points, giving the Bulldogs a priceless 74-69 lead with less than two minutes remaining in overtime.
The Green Archers had no answer for the deficit, with Joaqui Manuel and Evan Nelle missing key free throws that could have turned the tide.
Nelle managed to sink a three-point shot to bring La Salle within two points, but time eventually ran out.
“Bago kasi ‘yun, napagalitan ako kanina ni Coach kasi may isang play na di ko tinira. Kaya pag timeout ‘yun, sinabi ni coach, ‘Tira mo! Kaya nasa loob ka kasi pinapatira kita talaga’,” said NU’s 6-foot-3 senior guard.
“Kaya ‘yun, open ako, tinitira ko tapos ‘yun.”
For NU coach Jeff Napa, this win over La Salle is a significant development for his team. He referenced the Bulldogs’ 60-78 defeat to the league leaders, the University of the Philippines, on October 7.
That loss stung because his players failed to keep up with the Fighting Maroons’ depth.
Napa emphasized that his players have the freedom to shoot as long as it’s a good shot. Thankfully, this time around, Yu followed his instructions to the letter.
“Yun naman sinasabi ko sa kanila, pag libre, walang isip-isip. Siyempre, yun lang naman. Lahat naman ‘tong mga ito, walang bawal eh. Talagang kailangan mo lang panindigan,” said the 42-year-old mentor who led the NU Bullpups to three UAAP juniors titles.
“At least naka-chamba siya in the last five minutes despite meron pa kasing injury ito eh. Still recovering kaya hindi ganun ma-full blast yung full potential. Hopefully, coming into the second round, healthy na talaga siya.”
The Bulldogs will treasure this win over the Green Archers before they prepare to face the University of the East this Wednesday. This type of victory helps players grow because of the hard work they put into it.
Yu can relish his role in helping NU secure a crucial win because his contribution in a game of this magnitude has been a long time coming.
“As what coach said, yung La Salle talaga, sobrang strong team talaga. Thankful kami (at) blessed. Sabi nga ni coach, naka-chamba kami sa La Salle,” he said.
