ALFRED Aroga of National U foils Clint Doliguez of Ateneo AUGUST DELACRUZ
National University made sure there won’t be any magical comeback for Ateneo this time as the Bulldogs hacked out a dominant 76-66 victory to complete an elimination sweep of the Blue Eagles in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Bulldogs came out charging from the get-go by shooting a staggering 63.3 percent in the first half, before foiling the Eagles’ big fourth-quarter rally with a decisive 16-3 outburst.
“We had a good offensive game, which was not normal for us. Usually we just thrive on our defense,” said coach Eric Altamirano after his Bulldogs dragged the erstwhile leader Eagles to a share of third with them at 7-3.
Ateneo’s loss left idle defending champion La Salle and Far Eastern on top at 7-2.
Alfred Aroga collected 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks to power the Bulldogs, who also dealt the Eagles’ lone loss in the first round, 64-60.
Earlier, University of the East overcame a listless outing to down winless Adamson, 72-59, and grab solo fifth with a 5-5 record.
The Warriors turned the game around after the break, where they dropped a 9-0 spurt to grab the lead, 42-34, after trailing for most of the first half.
“We still have a chance to make it to the Final Four but we have to play better,” said UE coach Derrick Pumaren. “I don’t think the guys came out to play. They didn’t play hard, they were taking Adamson for granted. But with the position we have right now, we cannot take any team lightly.”
Bong Galanza topscored with 20 points, 12 from three-point range, and Charles Mammie also recovered from a scoreless first half to finish with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bulldogs jumped to a sizzling 22-4 start and kept a double-digit spread most of the way behind Troy Rosario, Gelo Alino, Nico Javelona and Glenn Khobuntin.
“We dug a hole too deep for us to climb out this time,” coach Bo Perasol said of his Eagles, who had pulled off quite a number of come-from-behind thrillers this season.
Rosario pumped in 14 points, including six in the pivotal 16-3 run that put the Bulldogs back on top again by 18 points, 76-58, going into the last 1:35 minutes after the Eagles had threatened within five, 60-55, behind Alfonso Gotladera.
The Falcons came within a basket at the start of the fourth period, 48-50, before the Warriors responded with three consecutive triples in an 11-5 run that cushioned their advantage to 61-53.
Assistant coach Vince Hizon still handled the Falcons, who are out of semifinal contention with 10 losses, while coach Kenneth Duremdes watched on the sidelines. Duremdes missed three games after attending to family matters in Bahrain.
The scores:
First Game
UE 72—Galanza 20, De Leon 12, Mammie 12, Jumao-as 9, Sumang 8, Arafat 4, Varilla 4, Alberto 3, Guiang 0, Javier 0, Olayon 0, Palma 0.
ADAMSON 59—Trollano 18, Ochea 12, Polican 9, Rios 9, Monteclaro 3, Butron 2, Garcia 2, Iñigo 2, Villanueva 2, Aquino 0, Barrera 0, Baytan 0, Donahue 0, Gumtang 0, Nalos 0, Pedrosa 0.
Quarters: 13-15, 33-34, 50-46, 72-59
Second Game
NU 76—Aroga 15, Rosario 14, Alolino 13, Javelona 12, Khobuntin 11, Diputado 6, Alejandro 3, Neypes 2, Betayene 0, Atangan 0.
ATENEO 66—K. Ravena 18, Newsome 12, Gotladera 11, Pessuma 8, Elorde 7, Babilonia 4, Capacio 4, Doliguez 2, T. Ravena 0, A. Tolentino 0, V. Tolentino 0, Porter 0.
Quarters: 24-14, 42-30, 60-47, 76-66