MANILA, Philippines—Already out of Final Four contention, National University foiled University of Santo Tomas’ bid for a third place finish with a 73-49 win Sunday in the 74th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Bobby Ray Parks Jr. made his case for an MVP plum with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Bulldogs, who finished the season with a 6-8 slate.
The Growling Tigers, meanwhile, severely missed the services of Cameroonian center Karim Abdul, who served a one-game suspension after incurring two flagrant fouls on separate occasions.
UST will now hinge on to an FEU loss against La Salle in the second game Sunday for the Tigers to finish third and face a better match-up in second-running Adamson in the Final Four, which starts on Thursday.