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| c/o UAAP Media Team |
UAAP Season 87 Boys Basketball Tournament Standings
NUNS 4-0
UST 3-1
FEU-D 3-1
DLSZ 3-1
UE 2-2
ADU 1-3
Ateneo 0-4
UPIS 0-4
Games Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre
8 a.m. – AdU vs Ateneo (Boys)
10 a.m. – NUNS vs UPIS (Boys)
12 noon – FEU-D vs UE (Boys)
2 p.m. – UST vs DLSZ (Boys)
4 p.m. – Ateneo vs UST (Girls)
REIGNING MVP Collins Akowe powered National University Nazareth School to a commanding 75-59 victory over Ateneo de Manila University, keeping the Bullpups undefeated in the UAAP Season 87 High School Boys’ Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Akowe continued his stellar play, recording his fourth consecutive double-double with 25 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. His dominant performance has fueled NUNS’ unbeaten run, with an average winning margin of 16.5 points.
“Mahirap hindi maging complacent ‘eh. We’ll try our best na dapat hindi sila maging complacent. Patuloy lang namin sila ippush sa practice, hindi lang ako, pati yung mga assistant coaches tulad nila coach Jeff [Napa],” said NUNS head coach Kevin de Castro.
Ateneo trailed for most of the game but remained within striking distance in the fourth quarter. A quick five-point burst from Jay-m Leal cut the deficit to 59-48 with 7:56 remaining.
However, Akowe, Chad Cartel, and Mot Matias took over, leading an 11-0 run capped by back-to-back inside baskets from Akowe and Matias. This surge extended NUNS’ lead to a game-high 70-48 with 3:35 left, sealing the victory.
Cartel delivered an efficient outing with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, along with two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Matias added 10 points, three rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
Ivler Napa contributed nine points, two assists, and one rebound, while Macmac Alfanta tallied seven points, three assists, and two rebounds. Miguel Palanca, despite struggling with his shot (2-of-8 for four points), made an impact with nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, De La Salle Zobel pulled off a statement win, taking down defending champion Adamson University with a thrilling 77-69 triumph.
The Junior Archers matched their best start in UAAP boys’ basketball in nearly a decade.
Leading the charge was Kieffer Alas, who once again delivered in the clutch, receiving ample support from rookie Melvin Tailan and team captain Maco Dabao.
Their efforts handed the Baby Falcons their second loss in three games.
With the win, DLSZ improved to 3-1 for the first time since Season 78 in 2016, when they were led by Aljun Melecio and Marco Sario. They now share second place with University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University-Diliman, all with 3-1 records.
“It’s a good win. This is a big win for us, this is a character win for us. The test of a good team is against a great team, so this is a good omen, but it’s still an omen. We still have to work on the next three games,” said Junior Archers head coach Boris Aldeguer.
Tailan, a key piece of DLSZ’s UAAP 16-and-under squad last semester, ignited the Junior Archers’ fourth-quarter surge with back-to-back three-pointers. His hot shooting turned a slim 45-44 lead into a 58-46 advantage with 6:05 left.
Adamson refused to go down without a fight, responding with a 9-2 run to trim the deficit to 60-55. However, Alas and Dabao came up big in crunch time, draining two three-pointers each to push DLSZ’s lead back to 72-61 with just 1:12 remaining.
That barrage of triples proved crucial as the Junior Archers withstood Adamson’s final push. The Baby Falcons managed to cut the deficit to 74-69 with 23.5 seconds left but ran out of time.
Alas finished with a dominant 24-point performance on 8-of-13 shooting, adding 14 rebounds and six assists. Dabao contributed 12 points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal, while Bonn Daja had 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Tailan chipped in eight points, five assists, two rebounds, and one steal. Ken Atienza also made an impact with eight points, seven rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal.
With the loss, Adamson fell to 1-3, marking its worst start in the post-pandemic era.
Mark Esperanza led the Baby Falcons with 18 points, seven assists, three steals, and two rebounds, while CJ Umali added 16 points, four steals, three rebounds, and two assists.
Gabe de Jesus chipped in 12 points and three rebounds, while Earl Medina struggled from the field (3-of-11) but still tallied nine points, seven assists, four rebounds, and two blocks.
Ateneo, meanwhile, remains winless at 0-4, tied with the University of the Philippines Integrated School at the bottom of the standings.
Leal led the Blue Eagles with 18 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Chris Urbina nearly notched a double-double, finishing with eight points, nine assists, three steals, and one rebound.
TJ Delos Santos and Nathan Asistio also added eight points each in the loss.
Third Game (Boys):
NUNS (75) - Akowe 25, Cartel 11, Matias 10, Napa 9, Alfanta 7, Palanca 4, Figueroa 4, Bouzina 3, Locsin 2, Nepacena 0, Usop 0, Casala 0, Lucido 0, Natinga 0.
Ateneo (59) - Leal 18, Urbina 8, Delos Santos 8, Asistio 8, Tan 5, Ymasa 4, Reyes 3, Trinidad 3, Lagdamen 1, Kallos 1, Lacsamana 0, Espinas 0, Kaw 0.
Quarterscores: 24-14, 37-26, 54-43, 75-59.
Fourth Game (Boys)
DLSZ (77) - Alas 24, Dabao 12, Daja 10, Tailan 8, Atienza 8, Arejola 5, Favis 5, Espinosa 5, Borrero 0, Mben 0, Alpapara 0, Reguera 0.
AdU (69) - Esperanza 18, Umali 16, De Jesus 12, Medina 9, Perez 5, Penafiel 3, Sajili 2, Murillo 2, Tumaneng 2, Artango 0, Abayon 0, Matilliano 0.
Quarterscores: 22-12, 37-33, 45-41, 77-69.
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