National University Nazareth School overcame a gritty challenge from Far Eastern University-Diliman to pull off a hard-earned 72-68 victory and secure the top seed along with a twice-to-beat advantage in the UAAP Season 88 Boys’ Basketball Final Four, Wednesday morning at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Mark Arzola led the Bullpups with 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting and seven assists, while Clark Khobuntin delivered an 11-point, 17-rebound double-double as NUNS clinched the top spot heading into the postseason, bagged a coveted playoff incentive, and moved two wins away from completing an elimination-round sweep.
Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas held off a furious fourth-quarter rally from defending champion University of the East to secure a 102-93 victory.
With the contrasting results, NUNS remained unbeaten atop the eight-team field at 12-0, while FEU’s defeat allowed UST to gain a share of second place with identical 8-3 records.
“Importante ‘yong twice-to-beat talaga ‘eh. Lahat naman ng team ang laging hinahabol ay yung twice-to-beat advantage at kaya nga tinawag na twice-to-beat advantage ‘eh, para kahit papaano, magkamali ka ‘man sa Final Four, may chance ka pa para makabawi,” said NUNS head coach Leo Pujante.
After trailing by 10 early in the game, the Bullpups stormed back to take a 39-35 halftime lead and carried that momentum into the third quarter. They unleashed a 14-3 run—capped by back-to-back inside baskets from Moussa Diakite and Arzola to open a 53-38 cushion with 4:48 left in the period.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
The Baby Tamaraws refused to go away, trimming the lead to just 64-60 behind a Prince Cariño layup and an Andrei Chavez triple with 4:34 remaining. But the Bullpups steadied themselves, scoring three straight inside hits from Arzola, Khobuntin, and Dean Tria to restore a 70-60 advantage entering the final two minutes.
A late three-pointer by Dwayne Cañete and a layup from Dwyne Enriquez cut the deficit to 70-68 with 26.4 seconds left, but a costly FEU-D turnover in the final moments sealed the Bullpups’ 12th straight win and an unblemished 12-0 record.
David Sabareza added 13 points, five assists, two steals, and one block, while Nick Pena contributed 12 points. Diakite struggled with his shot, scoring only seven points on 3-of-17 shooting, but still tallied eight rebounds, three blocks, and an assist.
Chavez paced the Baby Tamaraws with 13 points, while Cariño was limited to 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting but added 13 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
In the earlier game, CJ Tabbuga exploded for 25 points built on six three-pointers along with six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block as UST avenged its 87-78 first-round loss to UE last October 4.
The win allowed the Tiger Cubs to tie FEU at second place while creating separation from UE (7-5) and Adamson University (6-5).
“Nakita ko na nag-respond yung mga players. Well prepared naman kami para sa ipapakita ng UE. Lahat nung gusto namin mangyari habang nagpe-prepare, nakita namin sa laro. Kaya medyo maganda yung kinalabasan ng laro,” said UST head coach Noli Mejos.
UST built a commanding 59-41 halftime lead and maintained control heading into the fourth quarter, with key baskets from Miguel Jubilado, Rowie Cabañero, and Dave Regala pushing the margin to 81-63 entering the payoff period.
UE, however, mounted a spirited rally as MVP frontrunner Goodluck Okebata, Sean Felizmenia, Zion Aguilar, and Juan Mallabo combined to slice the deficit to just six, 96-90, with 49 seconds remaining. But the Tiger Cubs held their ground—Jubilado’s layup and two clutch free throws from Cabañero restored a 100-90 cushion with 33.7 ticks left to seal the hard-fought win.
Jubilado finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while Cabañero came close to a triple-double with 11 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. Wayne Anggot added 14 points, three assists, and two steals, as Regala chipped in 13 points, six boards, and a block. Gab Castro rounded out UST’s balanced scoring with 12 points and six rebounds.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Okebata led UE with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks, and two assists, while Mark Perdigon added 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block.
The Scores:
First Game
UST (102) – Tabbuga 25, Jubilado 20, Anggot 14, Regala 13, Castro 12, Cabañero 11, Datu 4, Villacarlos 3.
UE (93) – Okebata 27, Perdigon 15, Aguilar 14, Ancheta 9, Felizmenia 9, Mallabo 6, Mercado 6, Delos Santos 4, Roxas 3, Mesa 0.
Quarterscores: 28-16, 59-41, 61-43, 102-93.
Second Game
NUNS (72) – Arzola 15, Sabareza 13, Pena 12, Khobuntin 11, Tria 10, Diakite 7, Gatumbato 2, Lalong-Isip 2, Manalo 0, Liwanag 0, Yanga 0.
FEU-D (68) – Chavez 13, Canete 12, Carino 11, Mojica 9, Mampao 8, Enriquez 8, Desiderio 7, Pineda 0, Barlan 0, Calma 0, Daa 0.
Quarterscores: 16-19, 39-35, 58-51, 72-68.
