By Jun Ray Navarres
Jake Figueroa and National University kept their undefeated streak alive in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament, holding off University of Santo Tomas for a hard-fought 76-69 victory on Wednesday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
UST was nursing a slim 65-62 lead midway into the final frame when NU’s Paul Francisco intercepted Gelo Crisostomo’s pass, which quickly turned into a fastbreak layup finished by Gelo Santiago, narrowing the gap to 65-64.
Figueroa then converted both of his crucial trips to the charity line, giving the Bulldogs the advantage, 66-65.
The Growling Tigers briefly reclaimed the lead, 67-66, after Mark Llemit forced his way into the paint for a quick basket.
However, Bulldogs captain Figueroa took over in the final minutes. He fueled a pivotal 7-2 late-game rally with five points of his own, successfully reversing the table to put NU up 73-69 with just 38 ticks left on the clock.
“Tinake advantage ko lang ‘yung binigay na responsibilidad ni coach na ‘yun nga, kumbaga kailangan kong akuin so ayun kahit papaano pumapasok naman,” said NU’s captain Figueroa, who tallied 22 points and nine rebounds.
UST was not able to come back as Francisco and Steve Nash Enriquez closed the night with clutch free throws, spoiling the Growling Tigers’ perfect start to the UAAP season.
“The players really worked hard talaga na makuha ito,” said NU head coach Jeff Napa. “Happy for our guys na talagang they followed the game plan. They are disciplined to do it, the effort is there yun naman ang laging sinasabi ko sa kanila.”
Gambian center Omar John also asserted himself inside, logging a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds along with three blocks, three assists, and two steals, completely stifling rookie Collins Akowe in the paint.
Akowe, who averaged 24.5 points and 18.0 rebounds in UST’s 2-0 start, was limited to 1-out-of-7 from the field, finishing with five points and eight rebounds on a -10 efficiency.
While Nic Cabañero paced the Tigers of España with 19 points and Amiel Acido added a career-high 18, their efforts ultimately weren’t enough to defeat the unbeaten Bulldogs.
NU looks to maintain its clean slate on Saturday against last year’s champs UP while UST hopes to bounce back against winless UE both on Saturday at The Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP Media Bureau
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