National University Nazareth School continued to dominate both divisions of the UAAP Season 87 High School Basketball Tournament with impressive victories.
In the boys’ division, the Bullpups, led by reigning MVP Collins Akowe, secured a convincing 75-59 win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
Meanwhile, the Lady Bullpups delivered another dominant performance, crushing the De La Salle Zobel Lady Archers, 86-44, Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan.
Akowe, continuing his stellar form, recorded his fourth consecutive double-double with 25 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block.
His dominant performance has powered NUNS’ unbeaten run, which has seen an average winning margin of 16.5 points.
“Mahirap hindi maging complacent ‘eh. We’ll try our best na dapat hindi sila maging complacent. Patuloy lang namin sila ipu-push sa practice, hindi lang ako, pati yung mga assistant coaches tulad nila Coach Jeff [Napa],” said Bullpups head coach Kevin de Castro.
Ivler Napa added nine points, two assists, and one rebound, while Macmac Alfanta contributed seven points, three assists, and two rebounds.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In the girls’ division, Gilas Girls standout Aubrey Lapasaran, a 17-year-old guard from Cebu, showcased her brilliance once again with 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting, alongside seven assists, five rebounds, and five steals.
Zaydhen Rosano, a 16-year-old forward, also stepped up with 20 points, eight rebounds, eight steals, and four assists.
“Excited kami makalaban UST, pero at the same time, we have to prepare very well kasi UST is a tough team to beat. We’ve been playing them during summer leagues, at talagang hirap na hirap kami,” said Lady Bullpups head coach Camilla Escoto.
“Kahit pa galing kami sa dalawang panalo, we need to have an almost perfect game for us to win. Hindi kami pwede magkaroon ng maraming lapses.”
Ashlyn Abong posted a double-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds, two steals, one block, and one assist, while KJ Badajos added 11 points, five assists, one rebound, and one steal.
After a tough 62-point loss to UST last Sunday, the De La Salle Zobel Junior Lady Archers fell to 0-2.
Ercia de Luna led the Junior Lady Archers with 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting, along with seven rebounds, four steals, and one assist. Sofia Martinez contributed 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Meanwhile, the Junior Archers, UST Tiger Cubs, and FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws all share second place in the boys’ division with identical 3-1 records.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
DLSZ pulled off an impressive 77-69 win over defending champion Adamson University, marking their best start in the sport since UAAP Season 78.
UST mounted a late rally to defeat University of the East, 69-59, while FEU-Diliman bounced back with an 84-60 victory over struggling University of the Philippines Integrated School.
Kieffer Alas led the charge for the Junior Archers, finishing with 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Rookie Melvin Tailan provided support with eight points, five assists, two rebounds, and one steal.
Team captain Maco Dabao added 12 points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal, helping DLSZ hand Adamson their second loss in three games.
Tailan sparked DLSZ’s fourth-quarter surge with back-to-back three-pointers, helping to extend their slim 45-44 lead to a 58-46 advantage with 6:05 left.
Adamson fought back, trimming the deficit to 60-55, but Dabao and Alas sealed the win with two three-pointers each, pushing the Junior Archers’ lead to 72-61 with just 1:12 remaining.
Despite Adamson’s final push, DLSZ held on for the victory.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Racine Kane, the 6-foot-7 forward from Senegal, was a standout for UST with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks.
Joaquin Ludovice added 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while co-captain Kirk Cañete filled the stat sheet with eight points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and four steals.
After suffering a 75-58 loss to NUNS, FEU-Diliman responded with a strong performance against UPIS, despite missing key players.
Assistant coach Bert Flores took over for head coach Denok Miranda, who was away with the FEU-Diliman 16-and-under team for the Japan B.League Under-16 Tournament.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Liam Salangsang led FEU-Diliman with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, along with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Marc Burgos nearly had a double-double with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one steal, while Jheremy Godoy also contributed 15 points.
Cabs Cabonilas had a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and one steal.
UE dropped to a 2-2 record, Adamson fell to 1-3, and UPIS remained winless alongside Ateneo.
Mico Pascual posted a double-double for UE with 10 points, 13 rebounds, a steal, and a block.
Ethan Aguas led the Junior Warriors with 15 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Jean Bana also scored 15 points and added seven rebounds, five blocks, and two steals.
Mark Esperanza paced the Baby Falcons with 18 points, seven assists, three steals, and two rebounds, while CJ Umali contributed 16 points, four steals, three rebounds, and two assists.
Gabe de Jesus added 12 points and three rebounds, while Earl Medina, despite struggling from the field, finished with nine points, seven assists, four rebounds, and two blocks.
Jay Leal led Ateneo with 18 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Chris Urbina nearly recorded a double-double with eight points, nine assists, three steals, and one rebound.
Bruce Tubongbanua led UPIS with 16 points, four assists, and three rebounds, while Rocco Melicor also scored 16 points, contributing four rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Ethan Egea added 12 points, five rebounds, three steals, and one assist.
The Scores:
First Game
UST (69) – Kane 24, Ludovice 11, Cañete 8, Esteban 7, Manding 6, Buenaflor 6, Bucsit 5, Solon 2, Catalan 0, Acido 0.
UE (59) – Aguas 15, Bana 15, Alejandro 11, Sabroso 10, Diaz 4, Lagat 4, Bual 0, Chua 0, Timbol 0, Almanza 0, Lorenzo 0, Dahino 0, Roquid 0, Cuevas 0, Abellar 0.
Quarterscores: 18-23, 41-37, 55-49, 69-59.
Second Game
FEU-D (84) – Salangsang 16, Burgos 15, Godoy 15, Cabonilas 12, Pascual 10, Esperanza 4, Hall 3, Raneses 3, De Guzman 2, Santos 2, Castillejos 2, Maierhofer 0, Dagcutan 0.
UPIS (60) – Tubongbanua 16, Melicor 16, Egea 12, Hallare 6, De Liano 3, Uvero 3, Poquiz 2, Coronel 2, Hernandez 0, Rosete 0, Pascual 0, Cobico 0, Gepitan 0, Mariano 0.
Quarterscores: 14-20, 42-32, 62-47, 84-60.
Third Game
NUNS (75) – Akowe 25, Cartel 11, Matias 10, Napa 9, Alfanta 7, Palanca 4, Figueroa 4, Bouzina 3, Locsin 2, Nepacena 0, Usop 0, Casala 0, Lucido 0, Natinga 0.
Ateneo (59) – Leal 18, Urbina 8, Delos Santos 8, Asistio 8, Tan 5, Ymasa 4, Reyes 3, Trinidad 3, Lagdamen 1, Kallos 1, Lacsamana 0, Espinas 0, Kaw 0.
Quarterscores: 24-14, 37-26, 54-43, 75-59.
Fourth Game
DLSZ (77) – Alas 24, Dabao 12, Daja 10, Tailan 8, Atienza 8, Arejola 5, Favis 5, Espinosa 5, Borrero 0, Mben 0, Alpapara 0, Reguera 0.
AdU (69) – Esperanza 18, Umali 16, De Jesus 12, Medina 9, Perez 5, Penafiel 3, Sajili 2, Murillo 2, Tumaneng 2, Artango 0, Abayon 0, Matilliano 0.
Quarterscores: 22-12, 37-33, 45-41, 77-69.
Fifth Game
NUNS (86) – Lapasaran 22, Rosano 20, Abong 14, Badajos 11, Pascua 6, Avila 4, Katigbak 4, Trinidad 2, Bretania 2, Sales 1, Aycardo 0.
DLSZ (44) – De Luna 21, Martinez 12, Reyes 7, Cordero 2, Notarte 1, Navarro 1, Vibanco 0, Poral 0.
Quarterscores: 26-11, 52-18, 68-32, 86-44.
