National University leaned on a clutch layup from Tin Cayabyab to escape with a narrow 90-89 victory over the University of Taipei (UT) in their 2025 BLIA Cup University Basketball Invitational opener on Wednesday, July 2, at the Fengshan Sports Arena in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Cayabyab’s go-ahead basket with 21 seconds left sealed the win for the Lady Bulldogs, who are dedicating their campaign to the memory of teammate Ashlyn Abong, who recently passed away.
With the win, NU opened the tournament at 1-0, joining the Victoria Select Team as early leaders in Pool B.
A win against Taiwan’s Shih Hsiun University tomorrow at 10:40 AM would punch NU’s ticket to the crossover semifinals, which begins Saturday, July 5.
In a dramatic fourth quarter, UT surged ahead with a 7-2 run — capped by an and-one layup from Yu Hsuan Huang — to take an 85-80 lead with 4:02 remaining.
But the Lady Bulldogs responded just in time. Cielo Pagdulagan hit a free throw, Cayabyab nailed a clutch triple, and Karl Pingol delivered two inside buckets to reclaim the lead, 88-85, with 1:11 to play.
UT, however, wasn’t done yet. Huang split her charities, and Yu Chun Chiu drilled a go-ahead triple to put UT back in front, 89-88, with 41 seconds on the clock.
After Marylene Solis missed a potential go-ahead three, Cayabyab came through in the clutch, grabbing the offensive rebound and converting the game-winning layup with 21 seconds remaining.
Pagdulagan, the UAAP Season 87 Rookie of the Year, led NU with 20 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Pingol posted a monster double-double of 19 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and a block.
Cayabyab added 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Solis also chipped in 14 markers along with two assists, two steals, and a rebound.
Chen I Li paced UT with 25 points — including 17 in the second quarter — on an efficient 11-of-17 shooting, along with three rebounds and an assist. Chien Wen Lu also delivered a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Meanwhile, University of the Philippines bowed out of contention after suffering an 87-66 defeat at the hands of Fo Guang University (FGU).
In a virtual knockout match to keep semifinal hopes alive, FGU proved too strong for the Fighting Maroons, handing them their second straight loss and eliminating them from playoff contention with a 0-2 record in Pool A.
The Fighting Maroons trimmed a 13-point halftime deficit, 47-34, to just six points, 57-51. But FGU answered with a blistering 16-4 run — highlighted by four triples from Yu Ting Huang and Wen Ling Lien — to take control with a 73-55 lead entering the final frame.
UP opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 burst behind foreign student-athlete Blessing Francis, cutting the deficit to 75-62 with under seven minutes left. However, a three-pointer by Lien and consecutive inside conversions by Huang and Ding Qi Chen extinguished UP’s hopes, extending the lead to 82-62 with 3:26 to go.
Francis was the lone Fighting Maroon in double digits, finishing with 12 points on 8-of-15 shooting along with 12 rebounds and two steals. Alexandra Mendoza contributed nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 clip.
Shane Cunanan added eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal, while Shanina Tapawan and Marielle Vingno chipped in eight points apiece.
UP will look to end its campaign on a positive note when it faces the Malaysian Select Team tomorrow at 5:20 PM.
Lien led FGU with 23 points, five rebounds, and two steals, while Wan Ying Yu added 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting with four rebounds. Huang also impressed with 15 points, five boards, and a steal, helping FGU improve to 1-1 and stay in the hunt for a semifinal berth.
