SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – The NU Bulldogs finally snapped their four-game losing skid with a crucial 73-60 win over the UST Growling Tigers in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday, April 26 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
With only two playing days left in the second round, NU eliminated UST from playoff contention and boosted its Final Four chances as it tied the Adamson Soaring Falcons at the fifth spot with an identical 5-7 slate.
Reyland Torres came up big for the Bulldogs in the much-needed victory as he finished with a game-high 18 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep.
Janjan Felicilda backstopped Torres with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Mike Malonzo posted a double-double of 11 markers and 10 boards.
“Good win for us,” said NU head coach Jeff Napa.
“We’re hoping that we could translate this win on Thursday against UE.”
“Our focus is one game at a time so we will move forward and prepare for Thursday’s game,” he added.
After leading by only 5 points, 17-12, at the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs shifted into high gear in the second frame to build a double-digit advantage over the Growling Tigers at the half, 36-24.
NU kept up the pace against UST early in the second half and even extended its lead to its largest at 25 points, 61-36, before the Growling Tigers mounted a huge 19-4 run to cut the deficit to just 10, 65-55, with less than 4 minutes left in the ball game.
Luckily for the Bulldogs, the 25-point lead that they built proved too much for the Growling Tigers to overcome in the endgame as Torres also sealed the deal with back-to-back threes.
Nic Cabañero led the way for the Growling Tigers with a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Joshua Fontanilla and Paul Manalang added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
NU aims to stay in the tight Final Four race when it takes on the winless UE Red Warriors on Thursday, April 28, at 10 am, while UST goes up against the second-seeded UP Fighting Maroons in the nightcap at 7 pm.
The Scores
NU 73 – Torres 18, Felicilda 12, Malonzo 11, Enriquez 9, Clemente 9, Joson 6, Gaye 4, Figueroa 2, Minerva 2, Yu 0, Ildefonso 0, Mahinay 0, Galinato 0, Manansala 0, Tibayan 0, Flores 0.
UST 60 – Cabanero 13, Fontanilla 12, Manalang 11, Ando 7, Canoy 7, Concepcion 4, Santos 3, Manaytay 3, Pangilinan 0, Gesalem 0, Herrera 0, Garing 0.
Quarters: 17-12, 36-24, 54-35, 73-60.
– Rappler.com
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