National University-Nazareth School eked out an 81-78 victory against rival Ateneo High School, Sunday in the UAAP Season 82 Boys’ Basketball Tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Carl Tamayo first made his two freebies to put NU ahead, 81-78 with 4.8 ticks left. Joaquin Jaymalin’s three-point attempt to tie the game then went out, giving the Bullpups their eighth win in as many outings.
“Marami kaming hindi magandang decisions noong first half hanggang third quarter, and our defense was really bad, lalo na sa ball screens nila,” NU coach Goldwin Monteverde on his squad’s closest win this season.
Trailing 78-79, Lebron Lopez’s one-handed dunk on a 3-on-1 fastbreak — which could have given Ateneo the lead — rimmed out with 57 seconds left in the game.
Down 42-45 in the third canto, the Bullpups unleashed a 16-1 blast, capped by Ernest Felicida’s deuce, to establish the game’s first double-digit spread, 56-46.
Terrence Fortea spearheaded NU with 17 points and four rebounds. Felicida added 12 markers, seven boards, and four assists while Kevin Quiambao chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds.
On the other hand, Forthsky Padrigao’s exploded with 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field for Ateneo. Lopez contributed 17 markers, nine boards, and five rejections.
Meanwhile, Far Eastern University-Diliman zoomed to its seventh-straight triumph after surviving Adamson University’s fourth quarter surge, 67-59.
The Baby Falcons were blazing in the fourth period, outscoring FEU, 16-8. Luckily for the Baby Tamaraws, though, they had already amassed a 16-point advantage after three frames, 59-43.
“Kailangan namin ayusin ‘yung killer instinct namin. Good thing, maganda yung simula namin pero dapat may killer instinct kami, hindi pwedeng wala lalo na sa mga teams like Adamson,” Baby Tamaraws coach Allan Albano said.
Penny Estacio registered 25 points and four rebounds, while Chiolo Anonuevo got 12 markers, four boards, and five assists. FEU rose to 7-1.
Joshua Barcelona led Adamson with 17 points. On the other hand, MVP race leader Jake Figueroa was limited to eight markers on 3-of-10 shooting.
On the other hand, University of Santo Tomas moved to .500 after drubbing University of the East, 90-63.
Still, the Tiger Cubs needed a huge second half to shrug the Junior Warriors, outscoring their foes, 53-31.
Rojan Montemayor tallied 19 points for UST, while Bismarck Lina dropped 13 points on a clean 5-of-5 clip from the field alongside 12 rebounds.
UE — who slid to 2-6 — was paced by Jericho Montecalvo and Pio Cruz with 16 and 10 markers, respectively.
Ateneo, Adamson, and UST are in a three-way logjam for third place with identical 4-4 win-loss records.
In the other matchup, La Salle-Zobel fended off upset-seeking University of the Philippines Integrated School, 94-81.
Kean Baclaan posted 18 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. John Quimado unloaded 17 markers, 11 boards, and two blocks as the Junior Archers moved to 3-5.
Meanwhile, Ray Torres came through for the winless Junior Maroons with 29 points, seven rebounds, and five dimes. Jordi Gomez de Liaño wound up with 20 markers built on six triples.
The Scores:
First Game:
UST 90 – Montemayor 19, Lina 13, Escoto 12, Refuerzo-Cortez 9, Ascutia 7, Villarez 7, Maliwat 6, Bugarin 5, Salazar 4, Biag 2, Calivozo 2, Javier 2, Oliva 2, Bautista 0.
UE 64 – Montecalvo 16, Cruz 10, Pelipel 9, San Juan 6, Mara 5, Marasigan 5, Montecastro 5, Ortiz 5, Peralta 2, Cabili 0, Caliwag 0, Castillo 0, Serrano 0.
Quarterscores: 20-14, 37-32, 66-51, 90-63.
Second Game:
FEU-D 67 – Estacio 25, Anonuevo 12, Bautista 11, Padrones 7, Pasaol 6, Saldua 4, Libago 2, Bagunu 0, Basilio 0, Buenaventura 0, Sleat 0.
AdU 59 – Barcelona 17, Erolon 13, Figueroa 8, Abdulla 7, Hanapi 5, Nitura 4, Ignacio 2, Tulabut 2, Quinal 1, Dubouzete 0, Ocangcas 0, Timbancaya 0.
Quarterscores: 22-17, 36-28, 59-43, 67-59.
Third Game:
DLSZ 94 – Baclaan 18, Quimado 17, Dalisay 14, Macasaet 10, Omer 10, Cudiamat 8, Unisa 7, Tupas 6, Del Mundo 2, Milan 2, Luna 0, Melecio 0, Reyes 0.
UPIS 81 – Torres 29, Gomez de Liano 20, Torculas 11, Canillas 10, Dimaculangan 9, Jacob 2, Avinado 0, Lopez 0, Morelejo 0.
Quarterscores: 13-23, 42-45, t0-64, 94-81.
Fourth Game:
NU-NS 81 – Fortea 17, Felicilda 12, Quiambao 12, Alarcon 9, Abadiano 7, Tamayo 7, Songcuya 5, Buensalida 4, Torres 4, Enriquez 2, Mailim 2, Abiera 0, Laure 0, Tulabut 0.
AHS 78 – Padrigao 30, Lopez 17, Lazaro 10, Jaymalin 9, Ladimo 4, G. Salvador 4, Rubiato 2, Espinosa 1, Pangilinan 1, De Ayre 0, Nieto 0, M. Salvador 0.
Quarterscores: 21-22, 40-40, 65-57, 81-78.
