MANILA – National University Bulldogs pulled of a massive upset victory over the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 67-47, in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday night at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
Patrick Wilson Yu led the way for the Bulldogs with 17 points, including five three-point conversions, while Jake Figueroa added 11 markers as they improved to a 3-8 win-loss slate.
With the victory, the Bulldogs still had a mathematical chance of making it to the top four provided that they sweep their remaining games and hoping that the No. 4 to No. 7 seeded teams won’t reach seven wins to force a playoff.
The Bulldogs caught fire early behind conversions from Gelo Santiago, Figueroa, and Donn Lim for a 24-8 start. The lead grew further the rest of the way as it reached its largest at 27 points at 62-35.
“Finally, nakakuha kami ng panalo sa second round, akala namin maswe-sweep kami kasi karamihan ng games nung September and October talo kami eh,” said Bulldogs head coach Jeff Napa.
“Buti na lang nung araw ng patay nabuhay ang lahat ng players ko, kahit papaano they delivered kung ano ‘yung gagawin nila and then in-enjoy nila ‘yung laro namin,” he added.
Sean Aldous Torculas was the lone double-digit scorer for the Fighting Maroons with 13 points as they dropped to a 9-2 win-loss card.
Meanwhile, Far Eastern University Tamaraws relied on their strong start to defeat University of the East Red Warriors, 59-51, and remain in contention for a semifinal seat.
Rookie Veejay Pre spearheaded the offense for the Tamaraws with 20 points to go with eight rebounds, and one block, while Jorick Bautista added 12 markers, four assists, and two rebounds.
“For this game, we were healthy, we were practicing well, I really expected this to be a good game for us and we were solid from start to finish, and that’s what we have done,” said Tamaraws head coach Sean Chambers./PN
