MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The defending champions are back on track.
National University notched its third consecutive victory after burying University of the Philippines, 68-52, in the men's basketball tournament of UAAP Season 78 on Saturday, September 26 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
"It’s good to have 3 straight wins especially coming from 0-3 but we still have long ways to go. We’re starting to get our bearings," said. NU head coach Eric Altamirano, whose team hiked its record to 3-3 after starting their title defense at 0-3. The Bulldogs climbed from sixth to fourth place in the standings.
Guard Gelo Alolino led all NU scorers with 16 points, 12 of which he poured in a blistering second period where he spearheaded a momentum-shifting run, scoring 12 of the Bulldogs' last 14 points before the break on a perfect 4-of-4 three-point shooting clip. His buzzer-beating triple off a broken play gave NU a 38-27 advantage at the half.
"We knew we’re not that good offensively but the 3-point shots of Gelo in the second quarter really gave us some cushion," Altamirano commended the graduating Alolino, who also tallied two rebounds, two assists and a steal.
"It gave us that confidence that when we encounter UP's tough defense, we’ll be able to make our shots."
Big man Alfred Aroga finished with 12 points and a season-high 22 rebounds to go with two assists, one steal and one block. Aroga continues to contribute steadily for the Bulldogs despite still recovering from his hospitalization due to food poisoning and losing around 10 pounds, according to Altamirano.
"Of course we’re very happy with those rebounds, we really need those, especially our team is small this year," Altamirano noted. "And Alfred really sacrificed himself, he knew he was going to be double-teamed a lot. We just reminded him not to worry about the double teams and continue to get rebounds for us. True enough he sacrificed himself to get more rebounds."
Swingman Med Salim and Raph Tansingco added 9 points each as only two players out of the 12 Altamirano fielded in remained scoreless. UP practically emptied its bench using 15 players but they could not crack the lock on the titlist's airtight defense.
"We knew coming into this game it will be a defensive game because UP plays very good defense," Altamirano said. "I think all throughout the game we were very consistent with our defense we were able to lock down on their shooters."
Jett Manuel shot a paltry 5-of-14 from the field, including one-of-5 from long range, but still registered a team-high 16 points. Paul Desiderio chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds as UP was limited to 36.8% shooting and 15.4% clip from distance.
The Maroons absorbed their third straight defeat and sank to 2-3 after an inspired 2-0 opening to the season.
NU, which defeated UST and Adamson in the past week, was toe to toe with UP in the first half. But the Bulldogs rallied and turned a slim 24-23 lead into a 32-23 advantage late in the second quarter.
The Maroons never threatened from there with their foes leading by as much as 17.
The Bulldogs will have a rematch of last year's Finals against the FEU Tamaraws for their last first round match on October 7.
Scores:
NU (68): Alolino 16, Aroga 12, Salim 9, Tansingco 9, Neypes 7, Javelona 6, Diputado 4, Alejandro 2, Celda 2, Abatayo 1, Javillonar 0, Yu 0.
UP (52): Manuel 16, Desiderio 10, Dario 8, Lim 5, Asilum 4, Gallarza 2, Jaboneta 2, Longa 2, Moralde 2, Amar 1, Harris 0, Juruena 0, Kone 0, Prado 0, Vito 0.
Quarter scores: 19-12, 38-27, 51-43, 68-52.
– Rappler.com