NU, La Salle set up FilOil finals battle

MANILA, Philippines — They may have not made it to the Final Four of the last UAAP wars.

But the way National University and De La University have bounced back in this preseason gives their foes a glimpse of what to expect in the upcoming UAAP wars.

The Bulldogs and the Green Archers set up a finals battle after disposing of separate foes in the 2012 FilOil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup Saturday afternoon, June 9, at the packed FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Champs falter

NU plastered UAAP reigning champs Ateneo de Manila University, 85-68, behind scorching three-point shooting while the Green Archers escaped fancied San Beda College, 50-46, in a match marred by horrendous field goal shooting.

Reigning UAAP MVP Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. attacked the Blue Eagles’ defense relentlessly and fired a game-high 30 points to lead the Bulldogs to their 10th straight victory and their first appearance in the championship round since joining the annual tournament.

Veterans Jeoff Javillonar and Dennice Villamor added 13 and 12 points, respectively, as NU defeated Ateneo for the first time in a playoff in recent memory. 

The Bulldogs shot 51% from the field and 37% from rainbow territory while outrebounding the Blue Eagles, 37-33.

Meanwhile, La Salle scored the baskets that mattered to survive a late rally by the Red Lions.

Almond Vosotros sank all seven of his points in the clutch to fend off a San Beda comeback and lift the Archers to the finals.

It has been a nice turnaround for the Taft-based squad, who, just last week, was teetering on the brink of elimination before stringing up three straight wins against archrival Ateneo, NCAA powerhouse San Sebastian College and then this.

Sophomore big man Norbert Torres posted 12 markers, including an all-important three-point play that gave La Salle a 46-42 advantage with 51.5 ticks left. He also had 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Jake Pascual and Baser Amer each scored 10 points for the Red Lions.

Both teams shot atrociously, with the Archers sinking only 33% of their attempts and San Beda posting a tad worse at 32%. 

The finals will be on Tuesday, June 12, 4pm at the FilOil Flying V Arena. – Rappler.com