FilOil: Mbe’s 16 and 12 help Bulldogs cruise past Pirates

National University’s Emmanuel Mbe only made 4-of-9 field goals, but it was his work on the boards and his interior defense that paved the way for his teammates to shoot their way to a 82-52 victory over the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, Saturday in the FilOil Flying V Pre-season Tournament at the Arena in San Juan. The victory put the Bulldogs’ record at 7-0, with a game remaining in Group B, a May 19 clash with the Adamson University Soaring Falcons. Lyceum held the lead early in the first, playing gritty defense and hurling multiple bodies at both Mbe and Parks. Their advantage was as high as six points after Joseph Ambohot completed a three-point play, 13-7. However, the LPU lead quickly crumbled after four straight points from Mbe and a lay-in by Cedrick Labing-Isa. NU utilized a full court press early, forcing two immediate turnovers in the first minute. A floater by former College of St. Benilde Blazer Mark De Guzman grabbed the lead for good by the end of the first quarter, 17-16. Things went downhill from there for head coach Bonnie Tan and his Pirates, as Mbe continued to man the paint while NU’s bench players lacerated through their thinning defense. Ambohot and Daniel Garcia struggled to stop NU’s cutters, particularly De Guzman and Jul-Ashri Ignacio, with the latter scoring six easy points in the second quarter. Coach Tan called for time after another De Guzman floater pushed the NU lead to eight points 28-20, but De Guzman’s stellar offense, heavy on drives and three-point shooting, could not be stopped, giving NU a lofty 10-point lead by halftime. LPU’s shooting woes continued in the third as the Pirates failed to hit anything from beyond ten feet of the basket, with Mbe consistently altering and contesting LPU’s shots. Lyceum forward Vence Laude forced crafty lane drives but misdirected his shots, resulting in a 2-of-12 shooting performance. NU continued to thicken the lead, outscoring LPU 26-9 in the third quarter, 64-37. The lead flipped back-and-forth between the higher teens to the lower twenties in the fourth, even with Lyceum’s big guns, Shane Ko, Floricel Guevarra, and Cayabyab in the line-up. Coach Altamirano pulled his starters a little above two minutes, and his bench extended the lead to thirty by the end of regulation, 82-52. National U wingman Mark De Guzman added 15 points courtesy of a 6-of-10 shooting performance and last season’s UAAP MVP Bobby Ray Parks added 13 points. Both played in limited minutes for Coach Eric Altamirano’s Bulldogs, thanks to the huge lead erected. The Bulldogs shot 45 percent from the field, while the Pirates shot a paltry 27 percent, with a nine percent clip from three-point land. In contrast to NU’s immaculate record, Lyceum continues to plumb the depths of the standings, sinking to a 1-6 record in Group B. - AMD, GMA News The scores: NU 82 – Mbe 16, De Guzman 15, Parks 13, Ignacio 9, Labing-Isa 8, Villamor 6, Javillonar 4, Alolino 4, Celda 3, Rono 2, Singh 2, Betayene 0, Neypes 0, Khobuntin 0 LPU 52 – Cayabyab 16, Guevarra 12, Ko 6, Laude 5, Francisco 5, Ambohot 3, Mendoza 3, Garcia 2, Azores 0, Mallari 0, Edding 0, Pascual 0 Quarter scores: 17-16, 38-28, 64-37, 82-52 FilOil 051212 NU vs LPU