Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) – The National University Bulldogs eliminated the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers from Final Four contention of UAAP Season 84 after a 73-60 win on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
While they knocked UST out of the Final Four race, the Bulldogs kept their chances alive as they tied Adamson in fifth place of the team standings with a 5-7 record.
The scoring onslaught for the Bulldogs started in the second quarter with JJ Felicilda, Steve Nash Enriquez, and John Lloyd Clemente leading the charge to erect a 36-24 halftime advantage.
NU remained the dominant team in the second half, especially in the third quarter, after a balanced scoring from the players of coach Jeff Napa and with UST struggling offensively.
The Bulldogs tallied their biggest lead of the game, 63-38, but the Tigers suddenly unleashed a 17-2 scoring run to trim their deficit down to just 10 points.
Reyland Torres halted the UST scoring rally with his back-to-back triples with less than three minutes left in the contest to secure the victory for the Sampaloc-based cagers.
Torres was the Bulldogs’ top scorer with 18 points while Felicilda added 12 markers and nine rebounds, as they end their four-game losing streak and notch their first win in the second round of eliminations.
Nic Cabanero led the Tigers with 13 points and 15 rebounds as they fell to their fourth straight loss with a 3-9 record.
NU seeks to establish a winning streak at the expense of winless University of the East in the first game on Thursday at 10 a.m., while UST will tangle with University of the Philippines in the last game at 7 p.m.
The Scores:
NU 73 – Torres 18, Felicilda 12, Malonzo 11, Enriquez 9, Clemente 9, Joson 6, Gaye 4, Figueroa 2, Minerva 2, Yu 0, Ildefonso 0, Mahinay 0, Galinato 0, Manansala 0, Tibayan 0, Flores 0.
UST 60 – Cabanero 13, Fontanilla 12, Manalang 11, Ando 7, Canoy 7, Concepcion 4, Santos 3, Manaytay 3, Pangilinan 0, Gesalem 0, Herrera 0, Garing 0.
Quarterscores: 17-12, 36-24, 54-35, 73-60.
