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| c/o UAAP |
Games on Saturday (Filoil EcOil Centre)
8 a.m. - NU vs FEU (Women)
10 a.m. - DLSU vs UST (Women)
12 p.m. - AdU vs Ateneo (Women)
2 p.m. - UP vs UE (Women)
5:30 p.m. - AdU vs Ateneo (Men)
University of the East edged closer to an elimination round sweep, while Far Eastern University secured the second Final Four ticket in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Junior Warriors moved two games away from the first-ever eliminations sweep in the division with a runaway 95-65 win against the UPIS Fighting Maroons.
Meanwhile, the Baby Tamaraws tallied their third consecutive win with a 78-61 victory against Season 86 finals archrival NUNS Bullpups to become the second team to enter the postseason.
With an average winning margin of 19 points through its 12-game streak, UE’s aspirations to sweep the eliminations will now face stiff challenges from Adamson University and FEU.
“Hindi pwede na may slow starts kami ‘eh. Dapat we have to play consistent as I’ve said. We’re in the latter part of the season and everything should be taken into consideration na small mistakes would lead you to losing. We just have to play consistent kasi all the teams will fight for their lives to beat us,” UE head coach Andrew Estrella said.
Mav Mesina, Enrico Bungar, Ethan Oraa, and Jolo Pascual joined hands for the Junior Warriors’ late 12-5 run to close the second period, turning a slim 33-26 lead to a comfortable 14-point advantage, 45-31, at the half.
While UPIS trimmed its deficit to as low as eight points in the third period, UE responded with a commanding 27-4 surge to open the payoff period, taking a game-high 33-point cushion, 95-62, to seal its 12th consecutive win.
This win was similar to the 91-44 first-round beatdown of the Junior Warriors against the Fighting Maroons last September 14.
Neil Garcia led the five UE players who scored in double figures with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go along with four rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Pascual tallied 12 points, six steals, and five assists.
Bungar also scored 12 points with six rebounds, while Kiefer Panganiban chipped in 11 points, four assists, three steals, and two rebounds. Mesina, who checked out late in the fourth due to leg cramps, tallied nine points, four assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
Coming off back-to-back wins against the DLSZ Junior Archers and the Baby Falcons, the Baby Tamaraws continued to peak at the right time to lock in their spot in the postseason.
FEU-D solidified its hold on second place after improving to a 9-2 card, while NUNS is now two games behind DLSZ for the fourth seed with a 5-7 slate.
“Alam naman natin itong NUNS na ito, masakit experience namin last year yung sa championship. Nagbigay lang kami ng statement na hindi mo na pwede gawin sa amin ulit ‘yon. May ticket na kami sa Final Four, pero yung hinahanap naming ticket ngayon, yung number two spot and walang sweep kung saka-sakali,” Baby Tamaraws head coach Muriel Garcia said.
After a tightly contested first half, FEU-D managed to turn a 41-35 lead to a dominant 19-point cushion heading into the payoff period, 61-42, after a strong 20-7 third frame performance.
Carrying over their momentum from the third quarter, the Baby Tamaraws were able to extinguish the late 16-8 run of the Bullpups to tally their ninth win in 12 outings.
FEU-D successfully exorcized the ghost of a heartbreaking Season 86 finals loss by winning both elimination matches against NUNS, which began with a 89-71 first-round victory last September 14.
Duke Santos led the Baby Tamaraws with 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Anton Lopez tallied 14 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Prince Carino nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds to go along with two blocks and a steal, while Mark Dulin chipped in 10 points, nine rebounds, and one assist.
Bruce Tubongbanua paced UPIS in its 12th straight defeat with a double-double performance of 25 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals, while Jhustin Hallare contributed 22 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Tulabut led NUNS in its third straight loss with 17 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four steals, three assists, and two blocks, while Nick Peña chipped in 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Mac Tadeo contributed 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Dwayne Khobuntin tallied eight points, 13 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.
The Scores:
First Game:
UE (95) - Garcia 16, Pascual 12, Bungar 12, Panganiban 11, Ferreros 10, Mesina 9, Oraa 9, Orca 7, Delos Reyes 6, Dalosa 2, Okebata 1.
UPIS (65) - Tubongbanua 25, Hallare 22, Cobico 7, Addatu 6, Labao 3, Rosete 2, Poquiz 0, Repane 0, Baldovino 0, Gepitan 0, Lugatiman 0, Manguerra 0.
Quarterscores: 25-20, 45-31, 68-58, 95-65.
Second Game:
FEU-D (78) - Santos 15, Lopez 14, Cariño 12, Dulin 10, Pingris 8, Pasinos 6, Miranda 4, Lassiter 4, Enriquez 3, Pineda 2, Victoria 0.
NUNS (61) - Tulabut 17, N. Peña 11, Tadeo 10, Khobuntin 8, Sabareza 5, Vitug 5, Urea 3, Y. Peña 2, Quinto 0, Reroma 0, Toring 0.
Quarterscores: 16-16, 41-35, 61-42, 78-61.
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