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UAAP: NU Bulldogs close in on top spot after beating UST for fourth straight win



NU's Dennice Villamor flips one up over UST's Ed Daquioag Photo by KC Cruz


The National University Bulldogs' running game proved too much for the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 75-61, as they closed to within a half game of the top spot in the UAAP, Saturday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Last season's hosts now boast of a 7-3 record, just a defeat behind the 7-2 FEU Tamaraws, while UST lost their third straight and dropped below .500, at 4-5.

[Review the play-by-play of this game here]

NU's Dennice Villamor drew first blood in the game, and it was his unlikely scoring explosion, he had eight of his side's first 12 markers, that gave the Bulldogs an early 12-7 lead, 4:05 in.

Scores from Karim Abdul and a split at the line by Kevin Ferrer got the Tigers within a point, 15-14, with Parks seemingly hurting himself while trying for a block, but the reigning two-time MVP shook it off, and his teammate Glenn Khobuntin scored the final points of the first period, for a 17-14 lead.

A 6-0 burst at the start of the second period put UST in front, 20-17, but a 19-5 run from NU gave them a commanding 36-27 bubble, 2:12 left in the first half. Making matters worse, Jeric Teng had to be subbed out from the game due to what was described as severe cramping in his right hamstring, and did not return the rest of the game.

Still, the pairing of Kim Lo and Kevin Ferrer paid dividends for the Tigers, as they closed to within three entering the half, 36-33.

NU's running game provided the bulk of their points, with 17 markers coming in transition, compared to only four by UST. The Bulldogs also got an 11-5 difference in assists, though their foes dominated the glass with an 8-2 advantage in second-chance points.

UST started strong anew, snatching a 40-38 lead, under three minutes in, but NU's defense strangled their foes, giving up just four more points in the period, while the fast break attack of the Bulldogs produced an 18-2 blast. By the time the penultimate quarter ended, NU led 56-44.

Like in the middle two periods, UST scattered some early points, getting to within single digits, 56-50. A split at the line by NU, followed by a Robin Roño trey made it an even 10-point difference, but a 7-0 burst from the Tigers cut their deficit to three, 60-57, half a period remaining.

Roño continued to play the role of fire extinguisher, hitting from range anew. Then off a miss, another run-and-gun NU play led to an easy layup for Khobuntin, 65-57.

Another Khobuntin score, this time off a put-back, made the difference 10 anew, 67-57 with 3:49 left. Ed Daquioag scored on a breakaway to make it eight, but he then proceeded to blow multiple chances to bring the Tigers closer, including five charities, and a missed layup. A pair of Roño treys then closed this one out.

Robin Roño tallied a new career-high of 19 points, with 15 coming off six attempts from downtown. Dennice Villamor added 18 markers and nine boards, while Bobby Ray Parks put together an all-around game with 10 markers, eight rebounds and five dimes.

Center Karim Abdul top-scored for UST with 18 points. He also added 12 rebounds and one block. Kevin Ferrer also compiled a double-double with 11 markers and 12 boards, plus five assists and two blocks, but he missed all five of his three-point tries. Aljon Mariano and Ed Daquioag managed nine markers apiece.

Jeric Teng logged two points in 10 minutes.

When the dust settled, NU had a 25-8 advantage in fast break points, along with a 15-0 edge in points off turnovers. UST's gunners also misfired from deep, converting only 3-of-13 triples.  - AMD, GMA News



The scores:

NU 75 - Roño 19, Villamor 18, Parks 10, Alolino 10, Khobuntin 9, Mbe 4, Javillonar 3, Perez 2, Rosario 0, Porter 0, Neypes 0, Labing-isa 0, Javelona 0, Alejandro 0

UST 61 - Abdul 18, Ferrer 11, Mariano 9, Daquioag 9, Lo 5, Bautista 5, Teng 2, Sheriff 2, Tan 0, Pe 0, Lao 0

Quarter scoring: 17-14, 36-33, 56-44, 75-61
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