National University moved three wins of an outright Finals berth with a 82-58 blasting of University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 78 juniors basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena Saturday.
The Bullpups, who are already assured of a post-season slot, led by as much as 31 points to extend their unbeaten run to 11 games.
John Lloyd Clemente had 14 points while Justine Baltazar chipped in 13 points and 12 rebounds for NU.
De La Salle-Zobel assured itself of a playoff for a semifinals spot with a 85-74 win over UP Integrated School while defending champion Ateneo overcame a slow start to beat University of the East, 96-58, to seize solo third.
Far Eastern University-Diliman tied Adamson University in fourth place with a 60-55 victory.
The Junior Archers, who were led by Aljun Melecio’s 22 points, improved their record to 9-2 and kept their two-game lead over the Blue Eaglets (7-4) in the race for the second twice-to-beat slot in the Final Four.
Jolo Mendoza fired 25 points as Ateneo broke away from a slim four-point lead in the second half to rebound from last Wednesday’s loss to De La Salle-Zobel.
Jun Gabane shot 18 points while Kenji Roman had a double-double effort of 12 points and 15 boards as the Baby Tamaraws joined the Baby Falcons at 6-5, bolstering their semis hopes.
The Tiger Cubs are virtually out of the running with a 3-8 slate in sixth spot, while the Junior Maroons (2-9) and the Junior Warriors remain at the bottom of the standings.