UAAP: NU survives UP, dooms Maroons to one-win season

(Updated 4:44pm) The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons gave it their all in an attempt to equal their win total from last season. Once again though, they came up short in the dying moments of the game. The National University Bulldogs split crucial free throws in the final minute, but it was enough to spell the difference in a 65-60 win, Sunday at the SM MOA Arena, in the 75th season of the UAAP. The victory put NU at 8-5 in the standings, a half-game ahead of the DLSU Green Archers who play the second game in a Sunday double-header. The two squads are currently battling it out for the last spot in the Final Four. "We played according to how we wanted to play, but we lost our focus and discipline in the second half," said Bulldogs coach Eric Altamirano. "We gave them a chance to come back, and knowing UP, you can't relax and have to play your game against them." Playing with multiple stalwarts on their final season of eligibility, UP wanted to notch one more victory to equal their two-win total from Season 74. They gave it a good effort, getting to within three points with 1:06 left on a Chris Ball and-one play, 63-60. Jeoffrey Javillonar made it a two-possession game with a split at the line, 64-60, with 51 seconds left, still enough time for UP to make something happen. However the only shot they could get on the ensuing possession was a fade-away by power forward Raul Soyud, which missed. UP managed to steal the ball back, but Alvin Padilla's triple didn’t conect, and the Maroon took too long to foul, finally sending Gelo Alolino to the line where he too split charities with five seconds left. UP called timeout to set up one final play to shrink the final margin, but State U was whistled for a five-second violation for taking too long to inbound the ball, sealing their fate, and their 1-13 record for the season. Reigning MVP Bobby Ray Parks, who led all scorers with 17 points, said he anticipated today's game would be tough and tipped his hat to the Maroons. "UP has a lot of heart and they play hard until the final buzzer sounds," he said. After two quick buckets by Mike Silungan, the Bulldogs cleaned up their act to take a 9-4 lead, thanks to strong moves to the basket by Gelo Alolino and Troy Rosario. After a slew of missed jumpers, Chris Ball finally drained one at the 3:08 mark and ended a five-minute Maroons dry spell. UP then went on a 7-3 run, capped by a Mark Lopez three-pointer, to trail by one after the first quarter, 12-11. In the second quarter, NU embarked on a 9-2 run, fueled by five from Jeoff Javillonar. the Maroons dropped any semblance of resistance as the Bulldogs repeatedly cruised to the basket. Rosario scored his ninth and tenth points beneath the rim for his team to double UP's score, 26-13, with three and a half minutes to play. Alinko Mbah got a hook shot to trickle in with under two minutes to play, the Maroon's second basket since 8:03 in the second. They then got consecutive triples by Silungan and Alvin Padilla to cut the lead to single digits, 30-21, at the end of the half. Mbah made consecutive buckets for the Maroons when play resumed, but Bobby Ray Parks quickly doused any fire UP had mustered by scoring seven of NU’s next nine, capped by a put-back slam. With UP’s offense falling silent, the Bulldogs slowly pulled away on an 8-0 run over the next four minutes. The lead peaked at 16 points, 47-29, as Emmanuel Mbe finished an alley-oop play off dish by Parks, with 3:07 left in the period. Keeping with their theme in this game, back-to-back triples by Padilla and Jett Manuel sparked a 12-4 run in the final two minutes of the period, closing the period with a 10-point deficit, 51-41. Parks scored 13 points in the third quarter. Padilla dialed in another trey to kick off the final period. Moments later, an unsportsmanlike foul was called on NU's Henri Betayene, and Raul Soyud made both ensuing free throws. as the Maroons were off to an 8-4 run. A triple by Robin Rono kept the Bulldogs afloat though, 54-47, 8:05 left in the game. Mbe registered NU's second field goal of the quarter at the 5:27 mark, but with the Maroons in foul trouble, the Bulldogs marched to the free throw line instead, where Mbe and Parks made four straight. The Cameroonian then matched a tough lay-up by Soyud for a 63-57 tally with two minutes to play. Emmanuel Mbe registered a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Troy Rosario finished with 10 points, scoring eight in the first period. National University did damage from the free throw line, making 21-of-25 attempts against an 8-for-13 clip for the Maroons. The Bulldogs also fared better in fastbreak points (13-6)  and rebounds (45-37). UP made 6-of-18 from beyond the arc, in contrast to a 2-for-10 mark by NU. Alvin Padilla made 3-of-5 from beyond the arc to lead UP with 14 points. Mike Silungan tallied 11 points, while Raul Soyud and Alinko Mbah tallied eight points apiece and combined for 12 boards. It marked the end of an era for the Fighting Maroons, as the team stands to lose a massive eight players out of their 15-man roster, namely point guards Mike Gamboa and Jelo Montecastro, swingmen Mike Silungan, Mark Lopez and Alvin Padilla, center Alinko Mbah, as well as reserves Diony Hipolito and Robby Wierzba. The five-point loss was a better result at least, than the 67-50 blowout they suffered back in the first round against this same team. - AMD, GMA News The scores: NU 65: Parks 17, Mbe 13, Rosario 10, Javillonar 8, Alolino 8, Rono 3, Singh 2, Labing-isa 2, De Guzman 2, Villamor 0, Neypes 0, Khobuntin 0, Betayene 0 UP 60 - Padilla 14, Silungan 11, Mbah 8, Soyud 8, Ball 7, Manuel 3, Lopez 3, Montecastro 2, Gamboa 2, Asilum 2 Quarter scoring: 12-11, 30-21, 51-41, 65-60