National University continued the woes struggling Far Eastern University, taking a 68-57 victory to enter the Final Four of the UAAP Season 86 Men’s Basketball Tournament Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Bulldogs improved their record to 9-2 in second place to seal their place in the semifinals for a second straight season.
“Kagaya nung sinasabi niyo, we’re in the Final Four.” said third-year Bulldogs head coach Jeff Napa.
“Hindi naman dito natatapos yun eh. Meron kaming goal. Meron din kaming pangarap na gusto naming ma-achieve. Kaya namin china-challenge yung sarili namin para at least malaman namin kung saan ba talaga kami, kung saan kami aabot,” added Napa, an NU legend in his own right.
From a slender 37-32 edge by the half, Jake Figueroa, PJ Palacielo, and Reinhard Jumamoy rallied their side, giving the Bulldogs a cushion a 55-37 lead with 2:49 left in the third quarter.
L-Jay Gonzales, though, answered right back, firing six straight points while James Tempra added his own to trim the deficit to 55-46 for FEU just before the end of the period.
Come the fourth quarter, Manansala, Mike Malonzo, and Donn Lim linked up to match NU’s previous biggest lead at 66-48 with 6:04 remaining in the contest to ice the game.
“Still blessed kasi nakuha namin ‘tong W,” said Napa. “Credits sa mga players namin talaga. They really stepped up especially nung second half. Talagang, yung desire na gusto nila makuha yung W lumabas.”
Figueroa led the Bulldogs with 15 points and six rebounds while Jolo Manansala followed his lead with 11 points.
Palacielo contributed 10 points for NU while Gambian center Omar John seized 14 rebounds, 10 of which came at the offensive end, along with his seven points, three steals, and two blocks.
NU will look to solidify its push for a playoff advantage against also-ran University of Santo Tomas this Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
On the other hand, the Tamaraws fell to 3-8 in seventh place off a three-game skid with an average losing margin of 6.67 points. They are 2.5 games away from the current fourth-placed team Adamson Soaring Falcons, who are playing the De La Salle Green Archers as of this publishing.
Gonzales shone for the Tamaraws with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists while Xyrus Torres and Jorick Bautista scored 11 and 10 points respectively.
FEU hopes to keep its Final Four push kicking against University of the Philippines this Saturday at 2 p.m. also at the same Quezon City venue.
The Scores:
NU 68 – Figueroa 15, Manansala 11, Palacielo 10, Malonzo 9, Baclaan 7, John 7, Lim 5, Jumamoy 2, Gulapa 2, Yu 0, Parks 0, Casinillo 0, Delos Reyes 0.
FEU 57 – Gonzales 14, Torres 11, Bautista 10, Sleat 8, Añonuevo 6, Tempra 4, Faty 3, Ona 1, Bagunu 0, Competente 0, Felipe 0.
Quarterscores: 21-18, 37-32, 58-46, 68-57.
