National University raced to a hot start and denied every Adamson University run en route to an 85-66 victory in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
It was the bounce-back win the Bulldogs needed to remain in the top four, but head coach Jeff Napa was not satisfied with the way his team defended beyond the arc.
“It’s a good response coming from a loss to Ateneo pero medyo subpar pa rin ‘yung performance kasi nga we gave 13 three-pointers sa Adamson. We need to address that para coming to Saturday’s game, ma-correct namin ang mga sarili namin,” said Napa.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
The Bulldogs opened the game with a massive 24-9 run, with PJ Palacielo scoring 10 points during the surge.
The Soaring Falcons, however, refused to go down without a fight, cutting the deficit to six in the third quarter after back-to-back baskets from Kenji Cañete made it 58-52.
That would be as close as Adamson could get.
Paul Francisco, Mo Diassana, and Chad Cartel then combined for six straight points to close out the frame, restoring NU’s double-digit advantage at 64-52 heading into the fourth quarter.
Although the Bulldogs struggled to contain Adamson’s outside shooting, NU dominated the paint on both ends of the floor. The Bulldogs limited the Falcons to just 10 points inside while scoring 50 points in the shaded area themselves.
The victory lifted NU to 3-2 for solo third place, while Adamson dropped to 2-2 and slipped into a four-way tie for fourth to seventh.
Palacielo led the Bulldogs with 19 points while also making an impact as a facilitator, dishing out a career-high eight assists.
Francisco added 17 points and six rebounds, while Diassana finished with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 12 rebounds.
Guard Reinhard Jumamoy also made his presence felt on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds to go with 12 points and four assists.
NU will look to build on the victory on Saturday when it takes on the University of Santo Tomas at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Adamson, meanwhile, will try to bounce back on Sunday against the University of the East at the same venue.
Ray Allen Torres paced the Falcons with 14 points, while Matt Erolon chipped in 12 as Adamson failed to follow up its 28-point rout of the Growling Tigers.
Precious Jonah also posted 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Mathew Montebon contributed 11 points and five assists.
The Scores:
NU (85) – Palacielo 19, Francisco 17, Diasanna 15, Jumamoy 12, Garcia 12, Alfanta 5, Padrones 3, Cartel 2, Laconsay 0, Tulabut 0, Miranda 0, Reyes 0, Perciano 0, Solomon 0, Serrano 0.
AdU (66) – Torres 14, Erolon 12, Montebon 11, Jonah 11, Medina 10, Cañete 5, Demisana 3, Edding 0, Cruz-Dumont 0, Anabo 0, Tumaneng 0, Perez 0, Fransman 0, Pacquiao 0, Mangaron 0.
Quarterscores: 26-16, 50-35, 64-52, 85-66
