Gelo Alolino leads the NU Bulldogs anew. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
National University feasted on the helpless Adamson, 75-54, Wednesday in the UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament at Mall of Asia Arena.
It was the Bulldogs’ second straight win after opening Season 78 with three straight losses while the Falcons are still winless in five outings.
The defending champions first struggled against the last-seeded Falcons who jumped to an early 19-17 lead in the first, but the Bulldogs found their mission order and bulldozed their way to a 14-0 run in the second to go up 31-19.
An early deficit was what NU head coach Eric Altamirano and his Bulldogs had to get over to solidify its 2-3 record.
“It looked easy but we had a hard time in the first half,” Altamirano said. “We started out slow and Adamson got this confidence.”
“Good thing we stepped up in the second half.”
Alfred Aroga led NU with 16 points and eight rebounds while Gelo Alolino, who played sparingly in the second half, had 10 points and six rebounds.
Ralph Tansingco came off the NU bench to pour 10 points and grab seven rebounds.
Ivan Villanueva was the lone Falcon to score in double-digits with 11 points.