MANILA, Philippines – The NU Bulldogs entered the winning column of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament after completing a nail-biting 62-60 come-from-behind victory against the FEU Tamaraws at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, September 14.
After trailing by 13 points in the early goings of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs fought their way back and unleashed a massive 15-0 blast, capped by a Donn Lim three-pointer at the 4:32 mark, to overtake the Tamaraws with a slim 59-57 lead.
With NU still holding on to a precarious 62-60 advantage in the dying seconds of the ball game, FEU’s Janrey Pasaol had a chance to win it all for the Tamaraws after getting fouled by PJ Palacielo on his three-point attempt with 1.1 seconds left, but the rookie guard missed all his free throws as the Bulldogs — who trailed by as many as 17 points in the opening half — escaped with the win.
Overall, NU outscored FEU, 18-5, in the fourth quarter and held the Tamaraws to just one field goal in the final 10 minutes.
No player reached double-digit scoring for NU in the scrappy victory, with Palacielo leading the charge with 9 points, none bigger than his clutch undergoal stab that gave the Bulldogs a go-ahead 61-60 edge with exactly three minutes to go.
Jake Figueroa had an all-around outing of 8 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals for the Bulldogs, while Kenshin Padrones held his own against FEU’s big men as he posted 8 markers and 10 boards.
NU played without its foreign student-athlete Mohamed Diassana, who is out for the rest of the season due to an ACL tear in his left knee which he sustained in the first quarter of the Bulldogs’ opening-day loss to the defending champion La Salle Green Archers.
Mohamed Konateh paced the Tamaraws in the heartbreaking defeat with a monster double-double of 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 16 rebounds, while rookie big man Veejay Pre produced 15 markers and 9 boards.
Despite missing his crucial charities in the endgame, Pasaol had a solid line of 7 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Sean Chambers-mentored Tamaraws, who dropped to a 0-2 slate.
The Scores
NU 62 – Palacielo 9, Figueroa 8, Padrones 8, Francisco 7, Enriquez 6, Garcia 5, Jumamoy 5, Santiago 4, Perciano 4, Lim 3, Tulabut 2, Yu 1, Manansala 0, Dela Cruz 0, Parks 0.
FEU 60 – Konateh 17, Pre 15, Pasaol 7, Alforque 6, Bagunu 4, Daa 4, Añonuevo 0, Montemayor 0, Nakai 0, Ona 0.
Quarters: 13-24, 31-33, 44-55, 62-60.
– Rappler.com
