UAAP: NU vs UP preview and live-scoring (round 2)

Game starts at 2pm. Page auto-refreshes every 30 seconds. First round meeting: The host team National University Bulldogs flexed their might by thoroughly defeating the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 67-50 last July 26 in their first-round UAAP encounter. NU started out with an 8-2 run that put them in the driver's seat from the get-go. Two free throws from Bobby Ray Parks then gave the Bulldogs their first double-digit lead with 1:28 left to play, 16-6, but UP managed back-to-back scores to close the first period. A jumper by Henry Asilum started the second quarter, to make a mini-6-0 blast spanning the two periods, but NU countered with a game-changing 22-2 explosion that saw the Maroons held to a deuce by Jett Manuel over a seven and a half minute span. When the dust settled, it was 38-14 in favor of NU, 1:07 left in the first half. In the final period, UP managed a 13-1 run led by Mike Silungan and Jelo Montecastro that got their deficit down to 16, 59-43, with 3:10 remaining in the game. NU, which kept their starters in late despite the lopsided-nature of the game, struck back and padded their advantage back up, prior to the final buzzer. Key stats: The combination of Bobby Ray Parks and Emmanuel Mbe was just too much for UP to contain. NU's dynamic duo provided a total of 35 points and 20 rebounds and at halftime, had outscored UP by themselves, 20-18. What won the game for NU was the fundamentals. They out-rebounded UP 49-36, 17-15 on the offensive boards, and also got to the line more than the Maroons, converting 22-of-28 versus the 8-of-10 clip of their foes. UP though gets credit for sticking with NU in terms of fastbreak points (13-all) and turnover points (22-21, in favor of NU). Those two stats prevented this game from truly getting out of hand. While UP is at the bottom of the standings, they're hoping to pull off an upset in this game to at least equal their win total from last season. On the other hand, this is a must-win for NU, as they're still trying to make the Final Four, and every win counts for this squad until the end of the elimination round. NU needs to: Attack UP's defense and get to the line repeatedly, similar to what they did in their first round encounter. Parks in particular, will no doubt be looking to rebound from his 11-point performance in a loss to Ateneo, which gave him a new season-low. They need to avoid settling for three-pointers and instead attack and get high-percentage shots. UP lacks the firepower to pull off a huge rally, so building an early advantage is a must. UP needs to: Force the NU ball-handlers into turnovers and attack in transition. In NU's loss to Ateneo, the Blue Eagles were able to score 29 points off NU's 23 turnovers, with Mbe, Parks and starting point guard Gelo Alolino accounting for 13 miscues. In the halfcourt, UP can opt to pack the paint, and hope NU shoots themselves out of the game by settling for three-pointers.   NU (7-5) projected starting-five: Emmanuel Mbe (19 points on 7/11 FG, 5/7 FT, 14 rebounds, 2 steals vs ADMU), Bobby Ray Parks, Troy Rosario, Glenn Khobuntin, Gelo Alolino UP (1-12) projected starting-five: Mike Silungan (12 points on 4/11 FG, 2/3 FT, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal vs FEU), Raul Soyud, Chris Ball, Mark Lopez, Henry Asilum - AMD, GMA News