Gun-shy Patrick Yu pulls trigger late to anchor NU victory over La Salle

Patrick Yu (with ball) rises to the occasion for the Bulldogs in overtime.—UAAP MEDIA

At one point of regulation, Patrick Yu got an earful from National University (NU) coach Jeff Napa.

“Before overtime, I got scolded by coach because there was one play where I didn’t shoot the ball and he screamed at me, saying, ‘shoot it, that’s why you’re inside.,’” Yu said.

“[So when] I was open, so I shot it.”

And he made those shots, including five points in overtime to help the Bulldogs turn back La Salle, 80-77, on Sunday in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

“That’s what I’ve been telling them: if you’re open, don’t even think about it, just shoot,” Napa said.

“All of them [can take the shot] as long as they can own up to it. He (Yu) was put in the situation where a lot of people were helping him to get shots and he didn’t have anything else to do but shoot it,” he added.

The Bulldogs improved to a 4-1 (win-loss) record with a victory over one of the season favorites, and they also have Jake Figeroa to thank for pulling them out of impending defeat in regulation.

Adamson triumphs

NU watched as La Salle swallowed a five-point deficit to take a 67-64 lead in the stretch, but Figeroa bought the Bulldogs a chance with a corner triple that tied the score with 45 seconds left and sent the match into overtime. Figeroa finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals in a tireless performance that saw him on the floor for most of the game.

“I don’t know what I ate earlier because I played for 37 minutes,” Figeroa said. “I’m thankful for my teammates because they didn’t stop helping me until the buzzer sounded. I just really stuck to the role given to me, that’s why we won.”

“I can’t say anything about this kid,” Napa said of Figeroa. “[He played] 37 minutes … and he tells me he’ll take a rest for just one minute and he’ll go back to the game so I give credit to him. It’s a good win for us but we need to shift our focus to [University of the East] right away.”

The NU battles UE on Wednesday, but this early, the Warriors showed what happens if an opponent takes its foot off the gas pedal.

Adamson nearly paid dearly for it on Sunday.

The Falcons had to weather a second half master class from the Warriors before emerging with a 72-65 win in the other game.

“It was a hard win against UE,” said Adamson coach Nash Racela. “I commend our players because they did their part to at least make it hard for UE to have open looks.”

The Falcons led by 12 at the half but the Warriors opened the third quarter with 13 straight points to keep things interesting until the stretch.

Adamson held on for a 3-2 record, dropping UE to 2-3.

La Salle, meanwhile, took its second loss in five games despite 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists from big man Kevin Quiambao.

The Archers kept the game tied at 69 before Yu pulled up from beyond the arc and peeled away for a layup to give NU a pivotal 74-69 lead, 1:51 to play. INQ