No. 1 Bulldogs feast on Falcons

AUGUS Denila of FEU (left) and Dan Alberto of UE hit the deck during a scramble for the loose ball in their UAAP game yesterday. EDWIN BELLOSILLO

National University caught Adamson on a bad day and the Bulldogs carved out the most lopsided triumph this season with a 62-25 rout to grab the solo lead in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The Bulldogs set the tone for the whopping 37-point romp right in the opening minutes as they zoomed to early double-digit leads behind Jay Alejandro, Gelo Alolino and Glenn Khobuntin.

“When we watched Adamson in the last two games they were really shooting well,” said NU coach Eric Altamirano. “Today they were not shooting well. It just so happened we played good defense and they couldn’t buy any shot.”

Alejandro unloaded 10 of his team-high 13 points in the first half where the Bulldogs erected a comfortable 29-point cushion, 40-11, on the way to their fourth victory in five games.

Earlier, Mac Belo continued to do wonders coming off the bench as Far Eastern University downed University of the East, 73-63, to climb to a share of second at 3-1.

Belo, the standout forward who didn’t start for the second straight game, sparked the Tamaraws’ comeback from an early deficit before finishing with a game-high 21 points.

“He’s very consistent,” FEU coach Nash Racela said of Belo. “His true leadership showed today. Even if he came off the bench in a big game, he still gives the numbers.”

Anthony Hargrove, who teamed up with Roger Pogoy and Achie Iñigo in a fourth-quarter breakaway, posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The Falcons’ three-point output in the first quarter  was the lowest scored by a team since the Bulldogs had the same measly production against Ateneo in 2009.

The Bulldogs led by as many as 39 points, 58-19, as the miserable Falcons could not score more than eight points in any quarters.

“I didn’t see them relax,” Altamirano said of his Bulldogs, the league’s surprise early leader. “I saw their body language even before the game that they were very focused.”

Alolino added 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Troy Rosario had 10 markers and 10 boards for the Bulldogs.

“Being No. 1—we cannot rest on that,” said Altamirano. “This season is very unpredictable. You can go from 1 to 7 in a span of two games. What’s important is we have to be consistent every game.”

The Tamaraws came back from an early 13-point deficit, 9-22, with Belo and Hargrove fueling a 10-3 blitz at the start of the second quarter to trim the gap to 22-25.

By the second half, the Tamaraws were in full control and kept UE star guard Roi Sumang scoreless in the first three quarters.

The Warriors absorbed their second straight loss to drop into a tie with idle La Salle at 2-2.  The Falcons remained winless in four outings.

The scores:

First Game

FEU 73—Belo 21, Hargrove 14, Tolomia 13, Cruz 7, Iñigo 7, Pogoy 5, Jose 4, Dennison 2, Escoto 0, Denila 0.

UE 63—Varilla 12, Galanza 11, Javier 8, Arafat 8, Sumang 7, Mammie 6, Alberto 5, Jumao-as 4, De Leon 2, Olayon 0.

Quarters: 12-22, 31-32, 52-49, 73-63

Second Game

NU 62—Alejandro 13, Alolino 10, Rosario 10, Khobuntin 7, Aroga 6, Cauilan 3, Neypes 3, Yu 3, Diputado 2, Javelona 2, Salim 2, Perez 1, Betayene 0, Atangan 0, Celda 0, Tansingco 0 .

ADAMSON 25—Trollano 7, Ochea 5, Nalos 4, Monteclaro 3, Aquino 2, Baytan 2, Barrera 1,Pedrosa 1, Butron 0, Donahue 0, Garcia 0, Gumtang 0, Iñigo 0, Rios 0, Villanueva 0.

Quarters: 19-3, 40-11, 56-17, 62-25