National University Nazareth School retained its spot at the top of the UAAP Season 89 16-and-under basketball tournament after steamrolling past University of the Philippines Integrated School, 100-45, on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The defending champion Bullpups remained unbeaten at 4-0, one game ahead of the Far Eastern University-Diliman Baby Tamaraws, who likewise kept their winning streak alive at 3-0. NUNS also extended its winning streak to 20 games, dating back to Season 88.
Jerick Geron led all scorers with 16 points in his second outing of the season, while Elijah Javier posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
“Thankful po ako kay Coach Leo (Pujante). Binigyan niya po ako ng opportunity na ipakita yung laro ko. Marami pa akong pagkukulang pero thankful din ako na maganda nilaro ko ngayon,” said Geron, who saw increased playing time after playing just three minutes in his only other outing against the University of Santo Tomas.
Despite getting into early foul trouble that kept him on the bench for most of the first half, Jesse Arellano also recorded a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Bullpups.
Holding an already insurmountable 88-42 lead entering the fourth quarter, the Bullpups held the Fighting Maroons to just three points the rest of the way.
NUNS big men Chandler Cano and Marrion Dizon returned to action after missing the previous game due to chickenpox. This time, Railey Pangan sat out because of the same illness.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Later, the Baby Tamaraws, the only other undefeated team in the tournament, held their ground with an 86-76 victory over De La Salle-Zobel.
Nicus Calma put on a stellar shooting display, scoring 20 points while shooting 46.7 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and a perfect 100 percent from the free-throw line.
The 6-foot-1 forward also came close to a double-double with nine rebounds after averaging just three points per game prior to Wednesday’s contest.
Bernard Alsola and Griffin Barlan chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively, for FEU-D.
Despite the win, head coach Muriel Garcia highlighted how his team’s lead slipped during the final quarter and regretted putting his third-stringers into the game too early, while still maintaining optimism for the future.
“Kung magpapatuloy lang ‘yung magagandang ginagawa namin, tsaka ‘yung magandang character nila, siguro makakapasok ulit kami sa Finals,” said Garcia.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Rounding out the triple-header, Adamson University secured its first win of the season with a 78-56 victory over Ateneo de Manila University, improving to 1-2 and tying UST for fifth place.
After the final deadlock at 16-16 with 2:12 left in the first quarter, the Baby Falcons pulled away and took a 15-point lead by halftime.
Kobe Edrada topped all scorers with 22 points and seven assists. Raphael Gayatin and Dwayne Sepnio also finished in double figures with 16 and 14 points, respectively, for Adamson.
Head coach Dante Tangco credited his squad, which is composed mostly of rookies and has only two holdovers from Season 88.
“Quite honestly, we’re very happy that we’ve gone over the hump. I hope it goes all the way, and I think we just have to practice more and play as a team. Relatively, the team’s very new,” he said.
Zandro Lugatiman finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Kean Poquiz added 12 points and two steals for the Fighting Maroons.
Ryle Villaruz had a double-double for the Junior Archers, tallying a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds. Enzo Purugganan added 18 points and three assists despite the loss as DLSZ dropped to fourth at 2-2.
For Ateneo, Jayden Ylen posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Karl Gandionco added 11 points and seven rebounds. Richkurt Dela Cruz and Ezequiel Molina also finished in double figures with 10 points apiece.
Both UPIS and Ateneo remained at the bottom of the standings with identical 0-3 records.
The Scores:
First Game:
NUNS 100 – Geron 16, Javier 13, Flores Jr. 12, Arellano 11, Enriquez 9, Osorio 9, Cano 8, Macoy 6, Dalanan 5, Tundag 4, Lopez 4, Mayor 3, Garcia 0, Genido 0, Dizon 0.
UPIS 45 – Lugatiman 18, Poquiz 12, Floriendo 6, Bautista 6, Labao 2, David 1, Santos 0, Romey 0, Sebastian 0.
Quarterscores: 29-10, 67-32, 88-42, 100-45.
Second Game:
FEU-D 86 – Calma 20, Alsola 15, Barlan 14, Mampao 8, Samonte 6, Cruz 6, Isip 5, Ira 4, Maghinay 4, Madrigal 4, Garcia 0, Manaloto 0, Vale 0, Castro 0, Salazar 0.
DLSZ 76 – Villaruz 27, E. Purugganan 18, Dizon 7, Santiago 7, Francisco 7, Mercado 6, I. Purugganan 2, Quillo 1, Noel 1, Dela Lara 0, Paceno 0, Enriquez 0.
Quarterscores: 28-17, 53-39, 69-54, 86-76.
Third Game:
AdU 78 – Edrada 22, Gayatin 16, Sepnio 14, Maycong 6, Espiritu 5, Cads 4, Delos Santos Jr. 4, Bulan 4, Caintic 3.
Ateneo 56 – Ylen 16, Gandionco 11, Dela Cruz 10, Molina 10, Nuque-Bautista 5, Llavore 2, Dolera 2, Dionisio 0, Saw 0, Manlutac 0, Mabigat 0, Beley 0, Lucero 0, Shi 0, Bayona Jr. 0.
Quarterscores: 19-16, 45-30, 59-45, 78-56.
