National U Stuns UP, Deals Maroons First Setback

National University stunned University of the Philippines with a blistering start and held on through a late Fighting Maroons rally to claim a 72-64 victory on Saturday, September 26 in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Bulldogs set the tone from the opening minutes, racing to a 21-4 lead, completely disrupting UP’s offense and finding their rhythm on the other end.

The Fighting Maroons slowly worked their way back in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to single digits before NU took a 38-30 lead into halftime.

UP continued its push after the break, cutting the margin to six, 40-34. NU responded with another run, though, and restored control before taking a 56-42 advantage into the fourth.

The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 18, 64-46, with 6:05 remaining after a Paul Francisco jumper, but UP made one more attempt to turn the game around.

Miguel Yñiguez knocked down a three-pointer with 1:26 left to bring the Fighting Maroons within nine, 68-59.

Reinhard Jumamoy converted a bank shot to keep the Bulldogs comfortably ahead before Mo Diassana followed with a dunk that helped put the game beyond UP’s reach.

Jumamoy finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while Mac Alfanta added 13 points. Francisco contributed 11 points and Diassana had 10 as four NU players scored in double figures.

UP was led by Arvie Poyos with 13 points, while Veejay Pre added 11 and Yñiguez finished with 10.

The victory moved NU to 2-1 in the standings and gave the Bulldogs their second straight win, while UP dropped to 2-1 after opening the season with two victories.

NU will look to extend its winning streak against Ateneo on October 3 at 5:30 PM. UP, meanwhile, faces FEU on October 4 at 5:30 PM.

THE SCORES:

NU - Jumamoy 14, Alfanta 13, Francisco 11, Diassana 10, Palacielo 9, Garcia 4, Laconsay 3, Padrones 2, Reyes 2, Miranda 2, Solomon 2, Figueroa 0, Serrano 0, Cartel 0

UP 64 - Poyos 13, Pre 11, Yniguez 10, Bayla 7, Payosing 6, Nnoruka 6, Stevens 4, Remogat 3, Alter 2, Palanca 2, Briones 0, Andres 0, Maga 0

QUARTERSCORES: 25-12, 38-30, 56-42, 72-64

Photo Credits: UAAP Media