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| c/o UAAP Media Team |
Games on Thursday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre
8 a.m. - Ateneo vs NUNS (girls’)
10 a.m. - FEU-D vs ADU (boys’)
12 p.m. - Ateneo vs NUNS (boys’)
2 p.m. - DLSZ vs UE (boys’)
4 p.m. - UPIS vs UST (boys’)
NATIONAL University Nazareth School inched closer to securing the first twice-to-beat advantage in the UAAP Season 87 Boys’ Basketball Final Four after an emphatic 89-70 victory over University of the East on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Later in the day, University of Santo Tomas clinched at least a playoff berth with an 82-72 triumph over Ateneo de Manila University.
With their 10th win of the season, the Bullpups are now just one victory away from securing a playoff incentive and three wins short of an outright Finals berth.
“Malayo pa kami sa goal namin, which is yung championship,” said Bullpups head coach Kevin De Castro. “For this game, maganda na madaming nag-step up para sa amin, kasi yun nga, malapit na yung Final Four.”
Reigning MVP Collins Akowe recorded his 10th double-double of the season, finishing with 18 points, 18 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block.
Akowe was not alone in carrying the offensive load, as Macmac Alfanta led the Bullpups with 18 points, Chad Cartel contributed 13 points and five assists, while Migs Palanca added an efficient 10 points and seven rebounds.
Grade 11 guard Mot Matias also had a standout performance, dishing out eight assists without a single turnover while chipping in five points.
“This game, talagang naglaro sila. They showed up as a team. Yun nga, 27 assists—eto naman yung gusto ko sa team namin eh,” De Castro added.
NU set the tone early, taking a 23-14 lead in the opening period before blowing the game wide open with a 30-point advantage, 75-45.
Meanwhile, Koji Buenaflor, off a suspension, powered UST’s bounce-back effort following a narrow loss to FEU-Diliman.
The 19-year-old big man, who missed the Baby Tamaraws game after accumulating two unsportsmanlike fouls, made his presence felt with 14 points and eight rebounds, helping the Tiger Cubs improve to 9-2.
FEU-Diliman (7-2) was still playing UPIS (0-10) as of publishing time.
“Ever since nung first round, lahat ng panalo namin ay dahil sa good start namin. So I keep on telling the boys na malaking factor ‘yung magandang start namin palagi, so kailangan i-maintain namin yan every game,” said Tiger Cubs head coach Manu Inigo.
UST’s Senegalese reinforcement, Racine Kane, was a dominant force inside, registering a monster double-double of 25 points and 19 rebounds.
The Gilas Youth duo of Wacky Ludovice and Carl Manding also provided ample support, each scoring 14 points.
On the other hand, UE suffered its third consecutive loss, slipping to 4-7. Martin Almanza led the Junior Warriors with 12 points, while Topeng Lagat added 11.
Ateneo, meanwhile, was pushed to the edge of elimination, dropping to a 2-9 record. A win by Adamson over De La Salle-Zobel later in the day would officially knock the Blue Eagles out of contention.
Despite the loss, Alfonso Tan led Ateneo with 22 points, while Jay-m Leal delivered 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Scores:
Second game (boys)
UST 82 - Kane 25, Ludovice 14, Manding 14, Buenaflor 12, Bucsit 8, Canete 5, Solon 2, Cinco 2, Javier 0, Acido 0, Vidanes 0, Bohol 0.
Ateneo 72 - Tan 22, Leal 17, Urbina 11, Espinas 6, Delos Santos 6, Gatmaitan 4, Kallos 2, Lagdamen 2, Lacsamana 2, Kaw 0, Reyes 0, Asistio 0.
Quarterscores: 24-16, 47-39, 62-54, 82-72.
Third game (boys)
NUNS 89 - Akowe 18, Alfanta 18, Cartel 13, Palanca 10, Locsin 9, Matias 5, Pillado 5, Solomon 3, Napa 2, Figueroa 2, Usop 0, Natinga 0.
UE 70 - Almanza 12, Lagat 11, Timbol 9, Alejandro 8, Sabroso 7, Lorenzo 6, Farochilen 4, Bual 4, Bana 2, Diaz 2, Aguas 2, Chua 0, Abellar 0, Roquid 0, Dahino 0.
Quarterscores: 23-14, 40-32, 68-45, 89-70
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