University of the East relied on the late-game heroics of Wello Lingolingo once more, this time edging out National University in a thrilling 57-51 victory, marking their third straight win in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday evening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
After Steve Nash Enriquez sank two free throws to bring the Bulldogs within one point, Lingolingo responded with a clutch three-pointer, pushing the Red Warriors to a 53-49 lead with just 41.4 seconds remaining.
Despite a costly turnover by Enriquez, NU managed to stay in the game when Jolo Manansala stole an inbound pass and scored a layup with 19.5 seconds left, trimming the lead.
However, Lingolingo sealed the win by sinking two free throws.
Ethan Galang followed with a crucial block and two more free throws to put the game out of reach.
“I’m so happy again that the boys responded well. Actually, we had a bad practice yesterday. But I’m glad that all the players, especially coming off the bench, stepped up and yung game plan namin down the stretch, nasunod,” said UE head coach Jack Santiago.
This victory marked UE’s first three-game winning streak since Season 77 (2014), when they won five in a row at the end of the eliminations.
The win not only extended the Red Warriors’ impressive run — elevating them to solo fourth place in the standings with a 3-2 record — but also deepened the woes of a struggling Bulldogs team.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
John Abate continued his stellar play with a game-high 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, along with six rebounds while Precious Momowei grabbed 20 rebounds to go with his five points.
Despite being limited to eight points on 2-of-7 shooting, Lingolingo scored five of UE’s last seven points.
“It feels good kasi sa una pa lang, hindi nasho-shoot mga tira ko kasi mahigpit depensa sa akin. Kaya I’m grateful na nashoot ko yung last shot na ‘yon,” shared the 6-foot-1 Lanao del Norte native.
The Red Warriors will aim for their fourth consecutive win when they face Ateneo de Manila University on Wednesday, October 2, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Meanwhile, the Jhocson-based squad suffered its fourth straight loss, sitting in seventh place with a 1-5 record, where four of those five losses have come with an average margin of just 3.5 points.
The loss also matched NU’s worst start in five years, replicating their 1-5 record from the first round of UAAP Season 82 (2019).
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
No Bulldog scored in double figures, with Enriquez managing only nine points on a 28.6 percent shooting clip.
Jolo Manansala, Reinhard Jumamoy, and Kenshin Padrones each contributed eight points in the losing effort.
The Bulldogs will look to break their four-game skid when they clash with the Blue Eagles next Saturday, October 5, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
UE 57 – Abate 15, Lingolingo 8, Galang 7, Wilson 6, Maga 6, Momowei 5, Fikes 5, Cruz-Dumont 5, Malaga 2, Spandonis 0, Mulingtapang 0, Go 0, Robles 0.
NU 51 – Enriquez 9, Manansala 8, Jumamoy 8, Padrones 8, Lim 6, Figueroa 4, Francisco 3, Santiago 3, Palacielo 2, Perciano 0, Garcia 0, Tulabut 0, Dela Cruz 0, Parks 0.
Quarterscores: 10-15, 30-35, 44-43, 57-51.
