Games on Wednesday
(UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena)
7:30 a.m. – Ateneo vs UE (16U)
9:30 a.m. – UP vs AdU (16U)
12 p.m. – Ateneo vs UE (Women)
2 p.m. – Ateneo vs UE (Men)
4 p.m. – UP vs AdU (Men)
7 p.m. – UP vs AdU (Women)
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (NU) roared to a roaring debut with a 72-57 bullying of the University of the East (UE) in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
After a close first-half duel, the NU Bulldogs were unleashed with a staggering 14-1 blast to start the second half and take the fight out of the UE Red Warriors en route to a convincing 15-point win to spoil the UE debut of Chris Gavina in the process.
Ten players racked up the scoring board in NU’s scattered onslaught led by Jake Figueroa with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, five steals and two blocks in an all-around brilliance in just 28 minutes of play.
Paul Francisco and Kenshin Padrones added 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Omar John and Gelo Santiago chipped in eight points apiece as the Bulldogs anticipate a better start this season after a 2-6 salvo in Season 87 that doomed their Final Four chances.
“It’s very important for us to become healthy first,” said coach Jeff Napa, looking back to last year when NU lost foreign student-athlete Mo Diassana to an ACL injury in the first game against De La Salle University.
Mr. Diassana, from Mali, is still in recovery but with the Senegalese anchor Omar John holding the fort for the Bulldogs, the future looks good in a bid for a Final Four return as one of the dark horses to the reign of University of the Philippines and rival La Salle.
Up by just five at the turn, NU zoomed to a sudden 53-35 gap and never looked back as it shifts its focus against Far Eastern University (0-1) eager to bounce back from a tough 86-83 opener loss to Ateneo de Manila University on Saturday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Precious Momowei (12) and John Abate (10) paced the Red Warriors entering a battle against the Blue Eagles (1-0) on Wednesday at the UST QPav Arena. — John Bryan Ulanday
The Scores:
NU 72 – Figueroa 16, Francisco 12, Padrones 10, John 8, Santiago 8, Palacielo 6, Jumamoy 4, Manansala 3, Enriquez 3, Garcia 2, Dela Cruz 0, Parks 0, Solomon 0, Tulabut 0, Reyes 0.
UE 57 – Momowei 12, Abate 10, Tañedo 8, Dumont 5, Datumalim 5, Caoile 4, Lagat 4, Lingolingo 4, Jimenez 4, Rosete 1, Robles 0, Mulingtapang 0, Cabero 0, Malaga 0, Despi 0.
Quarterscores: 24-20, 39-34, 59-45, 72-57
