Nazareth-NU opens NBTC title defense in impressive fashion

National U's Terrence Fortea vs Cauayan in the 2019 NBTC Nationals Super 32

Defending champions Nazareth-NU stamped its class at the 2019 Chooks-to-Go NBTC National Finals presented by SM, dispatching their Super 32 opponent Isabela Colleges-Cauayan by ninety points, 135-45.

The Bullpups torched IC-C with a 37-4 run in the first quarter, then allowed the lead to balloon to a fifty-point lead at 62-12. They then continued to push that lead to go as high as 93 points, while allowing Goldwin Monteverde to shuffle up his lineups.

Terrence Fortea led the charge with nineteen points, while Steve Nash Enriquez added seventeen markers on 7/10 shooting.

Monteverde shared after the win, "Actually, nag-usap na kami before the game how to be consistent sa ginagawa namin. We had a great campaign in the UAAP and nag-pick up din kami sa tinatakbo namin."

Also impressing in the Super 32 is FilAm Sports USA, as they dispatched Perpetual Help System Laguna, 86-55.

Kainoa Ballungay pounded the opposition with another 20-10 performance thanks to his 24 points and eleven rebounds. He scored eleven of those points in the first quarter to anchor the early charge for the Bong Ulep-coached squad.

Jeron Artest added twelve points, ten rebounds, and six assists, while Jalen Green chipped in eleven points and four assists. 

Far Eastern University rode on the shoulders of RJ Abarrientos to escape with a 90-86 victory over St. Augustine's Institute.

Trailing by as large as twelve points in the third quarter, 57-69, the Baby Tamaraws rode on their sharpshooter to anchor the comeback in the fourth. Abarrientos dropped sixteen in the final period to help overcome the deficit.

In concurrent action held at the Palm Coast Marina, Vance Caterbas' buzzer-beating putback allows Southern Philippine Colleges to escape with 69-67 win over AusPinoy. Another overseas-based team also got bounced out with Quezon's Calayan Educational Foundation, Inc dispatching Italy Europe Proudly Pinoy, 69-63.

NCAA champions Mapua/Malayan survived a game effort from Zamboanga del Sur National High School, 54-46.

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go NBTC National Finals presented by SM is also sponsored by Darlington-Exped Socks, EPSON, Huawei, Freego, Purefoods, Gatorade, Go for Gold, and Molten, It is also presented by ESPN5 and Lighthouse Events.

Admission to the games at the Mall of Asia Arena is free. Just present your valid ID.

Strong start for Jalen Green, FilAm Sports at NBTC Nationals

Fil-Am phenom Jalen Green of FilAm Sports USA vs AusPinoy in the 2019 NBTC Nationals Seeding Round

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go NBTC National Finals presented by SM concluded on Monday with four more matches in the Seeding Round, with all matchups involving the overseas teams at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The most notable match saw Jalen Green fulfill the expectations being held for a guy ranked second in ESPN's 2020 recruiting rankings.

Green finished with twenty points, nine rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block to lead FilAm Sports USA to a 78-45 win over AusPinoy.

Eli Ramos scored ten of his fourteen points in the first quarter, while Kainoa Ballungay bullied his way to a double-double with nineteen points, twelve rebounds, an assist, a steal, and three rejections.

FilAm Sports USA asserted themselves on the defensive end to claim the 13th seed, holding the Fil-Australians to single digit scoring in the first two quarters. Green then took over in the third quarter with a ten-point outburst, on the way to claiming the 12th seed and a matchup against Perpetual-Laguna.

Head coach Bong Ulep shares, "Ngayon lang sila maglalaro as a team from different states in the US kaya I’m glad na we won. Medyo nung first half, 'di masyado makita yung chemistry. Sloppy ball game, as expected, pero nung second half, nag-pick up naman. Medyo umayos nang konti."

Jasper Rentoy led AusPinoy with nineteen points, six rebounds, a couple of assists and a couple of steals. As the 13th seed, they face Southern Philippines College - Cagayan de Oro.

In the closest game of the day involving the overseas teams, Durham Crossover hung on to defeat Far Eastern University, 69-66.

The Baby Tamaraws played their younger guys in this matchup against the Toronto-based unit, with an eye towards preparations for the 82nd Season of the UAAP. With nothing at stake save for seeding, top high school standout RJ Abarrientos was held out of the game. Even as such, they had a couple of chances to force overtime, but they were unable to convert a couple of triples from the right side.

Bryan Sajonia led FEU with nineteen points, four rebounds, and a couple of assists. Slotted as the 15th seed, they will face Floridablanca's St. Augustine Institute in the Super 32.

Durham Crossover rode on Denzel Faraon, Tayler Garcia, and Brendon Ocampo, who each chipped in fourteen points. The win slots them in as the tenth seed, and the matchup against late addition First City Providential Colleges of Bulacan.

Making it an unsuccessful NBTC are both Top Flight Hoops and Italy Europe Proudly Pinoy.

The latter lost to Hope Christian High School, 68-59, with Harvey Pagsanjan contributing 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Hope used a strong second quarter to overcome a sluggish first, scoring 23 points in the period while limiting Italy to just ten points. The ninth seeds now face Sto. Domingo National High School of Legazpi in the Super 32.

Renz Tubera led the way for Italy with a game-high 23 points, as they are now slotted as the 16th seeds and face Calayan Educational Foundation of Quezon.

The former, on the other hand, bowed to Camp David, 84-71, in the final game of the day.

With an undermanned lineup, the Kiwis rode on the performance of Reimar Cruz and his 26 points and eleven rebounds. As the 11th seed, they would face Dumaguete's St. Louis of Don Bosco in the Super 32.

The Vancouver-based Top Flight Hoops were led by Jerric Palma and his 23 points. They will face Tagum's Saint Mary's College as the 14th seeds.

Super 32 action commences Tuesday with matches at both the Mall of Asia Arena and at the Palm Coast Marina.

The 2019 Chooks-to-Go NBTC National Finals presented by SM is sponsored by Darlington-Exped Socks, EPSON, Huawei, Freego, Purefoods, Gatorade, Go for Gold, and Molten. It is alsopresented by ESPN5 and Lighthouse Events.