NU coach Jeff Napa leads the huddle. –FILOIL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—A dominant National University remained undefeated in Group A of the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup after toppling College of St. Benilde, 82-72, at San Juan Arena on Thursday.
The Bulldogs’ win served as a “test of character” for the team’s reserves as head coach Jeff Napa experimented with his rotations en route to the win.
“For me, I have to maximize all 16 players so I experimented to give my players chances to gain confidence since CSB is a more competitive and physical team, so it’s a test of character for them,” Napa said after the game.
Napa’s reserves poured in 47 points while the whole squad shot an efficient 41.8% from the field (33-for-79).
NU also outrebounded St. Benilde in a huge way, 53-36.
The Bulldogs held a huge lead in the fourth, 76-65, before the Blazers cut the lead to single digits with a 5-0 rally, 76-70.
But NU held the St. Benilde to just two points until the end.
Caught in a deadlock, 62-all midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs orchestrated a 14-0 run to ride the advantage until the final buzzer.
Steve Nash Enriquez led the Bulldogs with 11 points while Omar John registered 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Blazers’ scoring department was headlined by Migs Oczon with 21 markers.
NU is now 5-0 in Group A while Benilde holds a 4-3 win-loss slate.