Mot Matias delivered the go-ahead layup as National University Nazareth School narrowly escaped Adamson University, 76-74, to kickstart its redemption bid in the UAAP Season 88 Boys’ Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
After Mac Jenodia split his free throws to give the Baby Falcons a 74-73 lead with 31.5 seconds left, Matias drove through the defense to nail the go-ahead layup. That gave the Bullpups — who settled for silver in Season 87 — a slim 75-74 advantage and effectively secured the hard-fought victory to open their redemption campaign.
Before the winning basket, the son of former pro Ronnie Matias was limited to two points on 1-of-4 shooting but finished the game with four points, seven assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
“Bago yung go-ahead layup na ‘yon, sinabi ko sa kanya na diskartehan na niya,” said fourth-year NUNS head coach Kevin de Castro. “Doon kasi napapasok yung trust and yung relationship namin together for the past two to three years, alam ko kung ano yung capabilities nilang dalawa.
“Noong nakita ko na no timeout and no chance to design a play, doon ko sinabi [kay Mot] na diskarte na niya kasi ‘yon yung magdadala sa iyo sa dulo — yung maturity at yung diskarte sa dulo,” he added.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
In the other game, Maco Dabao starred with 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting, alongside six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal. De La Salle Zobel cruised past the University of the Philippines Integrated School, 98-42, giving new head coach Gian Nazario a triumphant debut.
With these contrasting victories, NUNS and DLSZ joined Far Eastern University-Diliman and Ateneo as early leaders in the eight-team field.
Earlier in the day, the Baby Tamaraws pulled off an 82-78 win over defending champions University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs, while the Blue Eagles edged the University of the East Junior Warriors, 91-84.
The NUNS-Adamson game was a back-and-forth affair, with the Baby Falcons seizing a crucial five-point, 69-64 lead with 4:51 left. They got a Jenodia triple and a six-point spurt by Cebuano rookie guard Fran Flores, built on a mid-range jumper and an and-one three-point play.
The Bullpups, however, methodically clawed their way back with a 9-2 run. They saw key contributions from Kurl Figueroa, Sofiane Bouzina, and Season 86 Junior High School Basketball MVP Shaun Lucido to take a 73-71 lead with 2:02 remaining.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Adamson staged one last stand as a Craig Fongtong floater and a split by Jenodia at the free-throw line gave the Baby Falcons a 74-73 advantage — until Matias’ go-ahead layup and a free throw by Bouzina allowed the Bullpups to narrowly escape defeat.
Lucido powered NUNS with 18 points, three rebounds, and one block, while Figueroa contributed a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with two assists. Key holdover Chad Cartel added nine points and one steal, while Miekho Natinga chipped in eight points and two assists.
On the other hand, the Junior Archers established dominance early, securing a 23-11 lead after the opening period. Then they torched the Fighting Maroons with a 36-point second quarter — led by Dabao, Mark Borrero, and Kio Favis — to enter halftime with a commanding 59-25 advantage.
In the pivotal second period, DLSZ shot 15-of-24 from the field while limiting UPIS to 4-of-12 shooting and forcing six turnovers. From there, the Junior Archers maintained control, posting a 26-12 third-quarter run, with key baskets from Ken Atienza, Borrero, and Dabao keeping UPIS trailing 91-41 with less than seven minutes remaining.
“Some of the things that you see right now are still part of the system that [coach Boris Aldeguer was able] to put in the program,” said Nazario, coach Topex Robinson’s trusted deputy with the Green Archers, who took over the program from long-time mentor Aldeguer.
“For me, more than turning a new page, it’s just really having a new book. I told the team yesterday that it’s about time to write their own stories. I’m just excited for these guys, and I hope we take it one game at a time.”
Favis provided 14 points and three rebounds, while Borrero added 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, with four assists, two steals, and one rebound. Champ Arejola had 11 points, eight assists, five rebounds, two steals, and one block, while Atienza also scored 11 points with five rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Flores paced Adamson in the loss with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and two steals, while Jenodia added 12 points, three rebounds, two steals, and one block. Jarl Artango contributed 10 points, four assists, and four steals.
Keefy Iledan finished with nine points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Bruce Tubongbanua led UPIS with 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists but shot 4-of-15 from the field and committed six turnovers.
Season 87 Rookie of the Year Jhustin Hallare was limited to seven points on 2-of-13 shooting but contributed four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
The Scores:
Third Game:
NUNS (76) – Lucido 18, Figueroa 10, Cartel 9, Natinga 8, Bouzina 7, Juan 6, Diakite 6, Cabantog 6, Matias 4, Celiz 2, Timbang 0, Mann 0.
AdU (74) – Flores 13, Jenodia 12, Artango 10, Iledan 9, Gomez 8, Frogoso 5, Bautista 4, Garcia 4, Saygo 4, Fongtong 3, Matillano 2, Gonzales 0, Babad 0.
Quarterscores: 20-20, 44-43, 58-56, 76-74
Fourth Game:
DLSZ (98) – Dabao 27, Favis 14, Borrero 13, Arejola 11, Atienza 11, Mikailu 7, Luna 4, Ferrer 4, Reyes 3, Alpapara 2, Dimayuga 2, Trillo 0, Tan 0, Llamas 0
UPIS (42) – Tubongbanua 16, Hallare 7, Pascual 7, Rosete 5, Poquiz 3, Addatu 3, Lugatiman 1, Hernandez 0, Labao 0, Manguerra 0.
Quarterscores: 23-11, 59-25, 85-37, 98-42.
