18 November 2018
By Maxine Louise Lagman
Manila, Philippines – Though they did not made it to the Final Four this season, National University still put an end to their UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament on a high note after blasting University of the East, 79-71, on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
With the win, the Bulldogs ended the tournament on seventh place with a 4-10 win-loss record.
National U banked on their veterans, graduating Filipino-American Troy Rike and Senegalese center Issa Gaye, early in the game to take a comfortable cushion against the Red Warriors.
Rike and Gaye combined for 17 points in the second quarter alone to have a 10-point advantage, 42-32. Mohammad Salim capped it off with another basket to beat the buzzer to make it 44-32 at the half.
The Red Warriors tried to cut the deficit as much as they can, but only came up within five, 49-44, after a Philip Manalang lay-up.
However, the NU Bulldogs are such a force to be reckoned with and stopped the Warriors from scoring any other points as they took on a 9-0 rally for a 58-44 lead.
UE was not able to recover from there as the National U cruised to winning the game.
Rike had a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Gaye added 12 markers and eight blocks for the win.
On the other hand, Alvin Pasaol finished with a double-double record of 20 points and 14 rebounds.
In what might be his final game in the UAAP, he surely finished on a high note too after averaging 24.4 points per game, which is considered to be the highest record any player have had since 2003.
Chris Conner chipped in 19 points, while Rey Acuno and Jason Varilla had 11 and 10 markers, respectively, as UE ended the tournament on a 1-13 slate, its worst outing in the Final Four era.
The Scores:
NU 79 – Rike 17, Gaye 12, Ildefonso D 9, Ildefonso S 9, Aquino 7, Yu 6, Salim 6, Diputado 5, Galinato 4, Clemente 2, Tibayan 2, Morido 0, Joson 0, Malonzo 0
UE 71 – Pasaol 20, Conner 19, Acuno 11, Varilla 10, Manalang 7, Bartolome 2, Guion 2, Cullar 0, Maloles 0, Gallardo 0, Strait 0
Quarter scores: 21-17, 44-32, 58-46, 79-71
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