Alolino takes over late, leads NU past UP

MANILA, Philippines – National University team captain Gelo Alolino hit clutch shots late in the fourth quarter to lead his Bulldogs past the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 75-69, in a critical win for their Final Four aspirations on Sunday, November 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The win improved NU’s record to 6-7, putting them in good position to compete with La Salle for the fourth seed in the league standings.

Alolino finished with a career-best 26 points -12 in the final quarter – to go with 10 rebounds while big man Alfred Aroga had 15 points and 17 boards.

Kyle Neypes and Reden Celda were the next top-scorers for the defending champions, finishing with 7 points each.

UP shot just 36% from the field and went a putrid 1-of-17 from downtown. The Maroons also hit just 16 of their 25 free throw attempts.

“I was very happy with how we played today,” NU head coach Eric Altamirano said after the game. “I think the key to this game was yung defense namin (our defense). We really asserted ourselves.”

The Bulldogs were down 31-28 at the half but used a 24-11 third quarter to take a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

National U was on top for most of the game’s final 10 minutes, but UP made the game interesting late.

The Maroons were led by Jett Manuel and Diego Dario, who both finished with 13 points apiece. Paul Desiderio had 10 points in the loss, while big man Cheick Kone had 6 points and 15 rebounds.

It was a free throw by Kone that trimmed NU’s deficit to 5, 63-58, with 3:06 remaining in the game.

On the next play, Henry Asilum forced a steal and took the ball all the way down the court for a floater, cutting the NU lead to 3 with 2:38 remaining.

Alolino then took control of the game, first by hitting a 3-ball that extended his team’s edge to 66-60 with 2:16 to go. After Kone scored on a put-back the next play, Alolino streamed down the other end of the court 3 seconds later to hit a layup, 68-62.

After UP failed to convert a basket following their time-out, Alolino scored again on a lay-up to put his club ahead by 8. With 29 seconds remaining, Alolino hit another 3-ball that sealed the win.

“Imagine he’s our point guard and yet he’s the one scoring for us pa. I know it’s a big responsibility but he’s living up to it,” Altamirano said about his fifth-year veteran.

National U will close their elimination round campaign in a finals rematch against FEU on Saturday, November 14.

UP, who’s now out of Final Four contention at 3-9, will take on La Salle on Wednesday, November 11.

Scores:

NU (75): Alolino 26, Aroga 15, Celda 7, Neypes 7, Salim 6, Alejandro 4, Javillonar 3, Yu 3, Javelona 2, Morido 2, Abatayo 0, Diputado 0

UP (69): Dario 13, Manuel 13, Desiderio 10, Amar 9, Kone 6, Asilum 4, Gallarza 4, Moralde 4, Harris 2, Lim 2, Longa 2, Jaboneta 0, Juruena 0, Webb 0

Quarter scores: 13-18, 28-31, 52-42, 75-69 – Rappler.com