Metro Manila, Philippines – The National University (NU) Bulldogs fended off a late surge from the Adamson Soaring Falcons for an 85-66 bounce-back win in Round 1 of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Fresh off an 87-76 defeat against the Ateneo Blue Eagles, the Bulldogs remained aggressive in their offense as they scored 50 points inside the paint to the Soaring Falcons’ 10.
The win put NU at the third spot with a 3-2 slate, while Adamson slipped to a four-way tie with De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines at 2-2.
Senior PJ Palacielo dropped a season-high 19 points in an 8-of-16 shooting, while Paul Francisco added 17 markers.
Two players posted double-double figures as big man Mo Diassana produced 15 points and 12 rebounds while Reinhard Jumamoy came up with 12 and 10.
Palacielo led the Bulldogs in their early offensive barrage that gave them a 15-point cushion against the turnover-plagued Soaring Falcons, 50-35.
Adamson came alive in the third frame as Matt Montebon and Kenji Cañete sank five triples to inch closer, 64-52.
However, NU was always quick to counter the runs until a Diassana slam shifted momentum on their side in the dying minutes.
Ray Allen Torres and Matt Erolon paced the Soaring Falcons in the loss with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
The Bulldogs will gun for back-to-back victories when they face the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Meanwhile, Adamson will seek to return in the win column against the winless University of the East Red Warriors on Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The scores:
NU (85) — Palacielo 19, Francisco 17, Diassana 15, Jumamoy 12, Garcia 12, Alfanta 5, Padrones 3, Cartel 2
Adamson (66) — Torres 14, Erolon 12, Montebon 11, Jonah 11, Medina 10, Cañete 5, Demisina 3
Quarterscores: 26-16, 24-19, 14-17, 21-14
NewsWatch Plus intern Jade Bagas contributed to this report.
