NU takes control in impressive win over Ateneo

MANILA, Philippines – From start to finish, the NU Bulldogs held control over the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Sunday, August 24, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. 

It was a championship-caliber performance from a team who should be considered title contenders in Season 77 of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament. 

The Bulldogs defeated the Eagles, 76-66, thanks to a solid performance on both sides of the floor. 

Alfred Aroga finished with the best all-around game in his UAAP career, putting up 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 blocks, while Gelo Alonino and Troy Rosario combined for 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists. 

Glenn Khobuntin and Javelona finished with 11 and 12 points, respectively. 

The win elevates National U to third place in the UAAP standings with a 7-3 record. Ateneo, also at 7-3, falls from first to fourth as the Bulldogs own the tiebreaker.

Entering the fourth period down by 13, the Blue Eagles wasted no time racking up consecutive buckets by turning to Ponso Gotladera, who converted eight straight points to open the quarter and get his team within five, 60-55.

However, the Blue Eagles rally was short lived, as Alonino, Rosario, and Aroga combined for eight straight points to get their team’s lead back up to 13, 68-55, with 3:55 to go. 

NU held on to their double digit lead the rest of the game and coasted victory.  

“We had a good offensive game, which is not normal for us,” commented NU head coach Eric Altamirano after the game.  

“We need all the wins we can get,” he mentioned later on, as NU looks to attain a top-two seed for the Final Four. “We cannot take a day off.”

Kiefer Ravena had 17 points and 7 assists, while Chris Newsome put up 12 points and 7 rebounds to spearhead Ateneo, which was swept by NU in their season series. 

NU had a tremendous start, opening the game by scoring 22 of the first 26 points to take an 18-point lead after a few minutes of play.

Late in the first, Nico Elorde sparked his club by converting five straight points off a layup and three free throws. A 10-2 Blue Eagles run got their club within 10, 24-14, heading into the second period. 

Aroga came off the bench and quickly made an impact by swatting away seven Ateneo attempts in the second quarter, where the Bulldogs increased their lead to as much as 16, 39-23.

Close to the end of the first half, Newsome brought some spark for the Blue Eagles, converting a 3-ball and finishing a layup on the break to get his club within 12, 42-30, at the half. 

Ateneo leaned on Ravena to start the third quarter, as the leader of the UAAP MVP race completed an and-one play. However, the Bulldogs were quick to counter by turning to Khobuntin, who knocked in a 3-ball.  

On defense, the Blue Eagles did a good job of denying the Bulldogs their first option on offense. However, NU still did a great job of swinging the ball around and finding Aroga open under the rim multiple times, which led to eight straight points.

With a little under three minutes to go in the third quarter and NU ahead by 15, ADMU’s press defense intensified and created multiple turnovers, enabling their team to get within 11 following a pair of Newsome charities.  

As the blue side of the Smart Araneta Coliseum started to get louder, Khobuntin managed to silence them momentarily by attacking the baseline and converting a tough layup to make the count 60-47 in favor of National University.

– Rappler.com