Tuesday, February 10, 2015

NU secures UAAP juniors finals berth

Game Friday at the Filoil Flying V Arena:
2 p.m. – NU vs Ateneo (Game 1 of HS basketball finals)

National University booked their seat in the finals of the UAAP Juniors basketball tournament, defeating La Salle-Zobel, 61-45 on Monday afternoon at the Blue Eagle Gym.

The defending champions opened the game by scoring eleven straight points in the first seven minutes and never looked back, limiting the Junior Archers to just five points in the first quarter. Their imposing presence forced Zobel to shoot 22.54% from the field

Justine Baltazar keyed the strong start for NU in the first period, scoring seven of his thirteen points in that stretch. He also grabbed a team-high eleven rebounds to be the only player nabbing a double-double. John Clemente led the team in scoring with fourteen points, ten of which came in the second half.

Mythical Five selection Mark Dyke finished with nine markers to go along with his thirteen rebounds and a rejection.

With the victory, the Bullpups forged a finals rematch against the Ateneo Blue Eaglets, which kicks off on Friday afternoon at the San Juan Arena. Perceived as the underdogs with the Eaglets finishing the eliminations unscathed, head coach Jeff Napa remains unfazed. He says, "Mas mahirap man ang pagdadaraan, eh di mas masarap,"

Mythical selection Aljun Melecio led all scorers with fifteen points, while Joaquin Banzon added fourteen for Zobel, who will finish third this season after beating FEU at the end of the eliminations and then Adamson in the stepladder playoff to set up the semifinal matchup against the defending champions.

NU is seeking to be the first team since UST in 1994 to complete the basketball Triple Crown, after their male and female collegiate counterparts won their championships last October.

The scores:

NU (61) - Clemente 14, Baltazar 13, Dyke 9, Manalang 9, Sta. Ana 5, Calma 5, Ferreras 4, Penano 2, Atienza 0, Claveria 0, De Guzman 0, Mina 0, Saquian 0
DLSZ (45) - Melecio Alj. 15, Banzon 14, Romero 4, Melecio Ale. 3, Fortuna 3, Isaac 2, Paraiso 2, Sario 1, Webb 1, Cabarrus 0, Tongco 0.
Quarterscores: 15-5, 30-18, 42-31, 61-45

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