UAAP: Bulldogs dominate Falcons for second straight win

(Updated 7:06pm) The National University Bulldogs won back-to-back games for the first time in UAAP Season 75, routing an Adamson University Soaring Falcons squad that played for most of the game without star player Alex Nuyles, 77-62, Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Emmanuel Mbe did the majority of the damage versus a poor Falcons frontline, scoring a game-high 20 points and hauling down 15 rebounds. Bobby Ray Parks tallied just 12 points but added 11 boards and five assists for his team, while forward Denice Villamor added nine points for the Bulldogs. Coach Eric Altamirano of NU downplayed today's victory however, saying, "Wala si [Alex] Nuyles."   The Falcons' veteran swingman had to exit in the first half after re-injuring his right shoulder. Still, despite facing a weakened team, Altamirano did find some positives in his team's game, pointing out, "Unlike our previous game, we started strong and we sustained it. "Yesterday we talked about following through on our previous win, and we treated this game as a very important one." The Bulldogs' first back-to-back victory this season came in dominating fashion: they led from wire to wire and led by as much as 24 points in the third quarter. Previously they had beaten the FEU Tamaraw on Thursday, 61-57. A three-ball by Denice Villamor drew first blood for the Bulldogs, then Bobby Ray Parks and Emmanuel Mbe took over, for a 9-0 opening salvo from NU. Jericho Cruz scored Adamson's first points on a lay-up, but Troy Rosario countered for NU, shooting his way to five straight before EJ Camson buried a triple, 14-5. But then NU went to the shaded area, and it was Mbe's turn to hit two in a row. Mbe's reliever, Henri Betayene, then scored, but it was countered by a lay-up by Nuyles. The Bulldogs then fell silent in the last two minutes of the first quarter, where Roider Cabrera scored Adamson's last four to trim the deficit to single digits, 20-11. In the second period, the Falcons' reserves limited NU to only one attempt per possession. However, they couldn't turn their stops into points on the offensive end. Harry Petilos managed four points to keep Adamson afloat, 25-17, before twin triples from Villamor and Cedric Labing-isa gave NU a lift. Once again, the Falcons' defense held and allowed NU to score only once more from the field, a basket by Jeoffrey Javillonar, for most of the last three minutes of the half. Roider Cabrera and Camson scored Adamson's next seven to bring the tally to 36-26. With ten seconds to play, Parks hit a three-ball from the left wing, only to have Adamson's Cruz match it as time expired, to keep the deficit at 10 points, 39-29, at halftime. Camson began the third with a basket for Adamson to bring the deficit to eight, but on the defensive end, the Falcons had no solution for Parks and Mbe. The reigning MVP buried his second triple and combined with Mbe for 12 unanswered points. A trey by Ryan Monteclaro interrupted the run, but the Falcons now faced a 51-34 hole. Parks next converted two shots from the line and fed Gelo Alolino for two more points to expand the lead to 21 points, 55-34. Cabrera scored the Falcons' next four, but NU ran up seven unanswered points, to make it 62-40, 1:02 left in the third. Adamson's starting center, Rodney Brondial, found his first points as the quarter wound down, and scored four of their last six. Alolino, however, wasn't done, laying it in twice for the Bulldogs to claim a 66-44 lead heading into the final quarter. With the game pretty much decided, it was down to the reserves in the final ten minutes. NU sniper Mark De Guzman scored all his seven points in the fourth period, while Falcons reserves Ar-Rouf Julkipli and Jeff Olalia combined for seven points as well. Adamson never trailed by less than 15 points though and the Bulldogs held on for the win. Adamson outscored NU in points off turnovers, 18-4, bt the Bulldogs simply shot the ball better overall, posting a 30-for-70 clip, or 43 percent, against 22-of-57, or 39 percent, by the Falcons. EJ Camson had 13 points and eight rebounds, while Roider Cabrera tallied 11 markers and six boards for Adamson. Reserve point guard Ar-Rouf Julkipli notched eight points and five assists. Now at 4-2, the Bulldogs hope to close out their first round strong when they play La Salle next Sunday, and not next Saturday as previously advertised, at 12 noon. Adamson on the other hand, sank to 1-3, with a match against the Archers next as well, on Wednesday.  - AMD, GMA News The scores: NU 77: Mbe 20, Parks 12, Villamor 9, Alolino 8, Rosario 7, De Guzman 7, Javillonar 5, Neypes 4, Labing-isa 3, Betayene 2, Singh 0, Rono 0 ADU 62: Camson 13, Cabrera 11, Julkipli 8, Brondial 7, Cruz 5, Petelios 4, Trollano 3, Olalia 3, Monteclaro 3, Nuyles 2, Cabigas 2, Rios 1, Etrone 0, Abrigo 0 Quarter scoring: 20-11, 39-29, 66-44, 77-62