ATENEO star Kiefer Ravena pierces the middle for a shot off Alfred Aroga of NU. Ravena, however, was held down to 13 points. EDWIN BELLOSILLO
NATIONAL University bounced back big as the Bulldogs banked on a strong second half to snap Ateneo’s perfect run with a 64-60 decision yesterday in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena.
Troy Rosario powered the Bulldogs with 16 points and eight rebounds with rookie Rev Diputado and Paolo Javelona backing him up in the final stretch to seal the upset.
“I’m very proud of our boys, especially our bench,” said NU coach Eric Altamirano after his Bulldogs recovered from a slim setback against defending champion La Salle, 55-57, last Wednesday.
“Like I said at the start of of the season, the identity of the team doesn’t rely on one person. It’s more of a collective effort.”
Both the Bulldogs and the Blue Eagles wound up tied at 3-1.
Earlier, Kent Lao nailed the deciding free throw with 1.1 seconds left as University of Santo Tomas slipped past Adamson, 50-49, to improve its record to 2-1.
Before canning the game-winner off a foul from Axel Iñigo, Lao missed three free throws inside the last 30 seconds of the match that saw both teams shoot poorly and commit a spate of turnovers.
“I’m not sure what happened, we were tentative,” coach Bong dela Cruz said of his Tigers, who played catch-up for most of the game.
The Eagles were held without a field goal in the final 1:46 minutes as the Bulldogs padded their slim 57-56 edge by nailing half of their 14 free throw attempts in the last 84 seconds.
“I think the team showed its character today,” said Altamirano. “We were missing our free throws but we didn’t lose our focus. We knew we had to make defensive stops in the end.”
Diputado shot 10 points, while Alfred Aroga (nine points, 11 rebounds) and Glenn Khobuntin (eight points, 16 boards) accounted for more than half of NU’s 48 rebounds.
Ateneo star Kiefer Ravena struggled for most of the game before finishing with 13 points on a measly 3-of-20 shooting. Rookie Arvin Tolentino paced the Eagles with 17 points, but also shot a poor 3-of-11 from three-point range.
The Falcons had a chance to pick up their first win, but Jansen Rios missed a potential game-winner from underneath off a lob pass from Jessie Pedrosa.
Louie Vigil shot eight of his 11 points in the second half to pace the Tigers, while Kevin Ferrer added 10 points.
The Falcons, still winless in three outings, led by as many as nine points, 42-33, in the fourth quarter despite the absence of veteran wingman Don Trollano, who served a game suspension.
“UST didn’t win the game, we gave it to them,” said Adamson coach Kenneth Duremdes.
The scores:
First Game
UST 50—Vigil 11, Ferrer 10, Abdul 8, Mariano 7, Sheriff 4, Lao 4, Subido 2, Lo 2, Gayosa 2, Dela Cruz 0, Pe 0, Sabalan 0, Macasaet 0.
ADAMSON 49—Pedrosa 10, Nalos 9, Iñigo 7, Rios 6, Villanueva 5, Ochea 4, Aquino 3, Monteclaro 3, Baytan 2, Butron 0.
Quarters: 13-17, 27-32, 40-45, 50-49
Second Game
NU 64—Rosario 16, Diputado 10, Aroga 9, Khobuntin 8, Alolino 6, Javelona 6, Betayene 4, Atangan 2, Celda 2, Alejandro 1, Neypes 0.
ATENEO 60—Tolentino 17, Ravena 13, Gotladera 7, Pessumal 7, Elorde 6, Newsome 6, Porter 2, Lim 2, Capacio 0, Babilonia 0.
Quarters: 15-15,33-31, 49-43, 64-60