FilOil: NU Bulldogs sweep through elims anew, maul UP

The National University Bulldogs complete the elimination round of the FilOil Flying V Preseason Tournament with an eight-game sweep, after annihilating the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons 71-52, on Friday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

“We were not after the sweep but it just so happened that it happened," said Coach Eric Altamirano, who will be heading to Australia with the team for their training camp.

NU gets its eighth straight win of the eliminations round, boasting of a clean 8-0 record, and a 19-victory run, going back to last season, when they won the title for the first time. In contrast, UP sits at the other end of the standings with a 0-5 tag, the only winless team in Group A.

The Bulldogs, who led by as much as 20 points, saw their lead cut to just 11 points midway in the fourth quarter, but hung tough to keep their sheets clean. Bobby Ray Parks scored mostly on free throws, severely limited by the Maroons’ defense.

“[Sam] Marata’s a good defender. Their defense was really good. A lot of teams are really preparing for us, but we’re focusing on trying to get better as a team," said Parks, who scored 15 points but shot only 2-of-7 from the field.

The Bulldogs made 20 of their 56 field goal attempts (36 percent). Their free throw shooting was a huge boon as they hit 23 of their 27 charity tries. They also hit 8-of-25 three-point attempts (32 percent) and converted 13 points off 17 UP turnovers.

Parks paced his team in scoring with 15 points, 10 of them from free throws. Alfred Aroga followed with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Jeoffrey Javillonar scored 12 points, hitting 4-of-6 from the floor.

Coach Eric Altamirano started Gelo Alolino, Jeff Javillonar, Denice Villamor, Alfred Aroga, and Parks, while UP's Ricky Dandan fielded Raul Soyud, Sam Marata, Kyles Lao, Chris Ball, and Mikee Reyes.

The Bulldogs hit the ground running, as triples from Park and a lay-in by Villamor prompted Coach Dandan to call an early timeout after the scoreboard read 8-2, with the rookie Lao was the only one to have scored for UP after a lay-in. Ball made a jumper to cut the lead to four, 8-4, but Aroga struck back to preserve NU’s six-point lead.

Lao made a short stab within five feet to make it 10-6, but a shot by Aroga inside and free throws by Alolino extended their advantage to 14-6. Soyud drew a foul and split his charities, 14-7, only for the Bulldogs to unleash a 7-0 run to cap off the first quarter, 21-7 advantage.

UP opened the second quarter with a foul and one from forward Julius Wong, whose free throw made it 21-10. The Maroons however went on a scoring drought that lasted for four minutes, while Troy Rosario, and Kyle Neypes Made it 26-10. Free throws by UP rookie Paul Desiderio at the 4:55 mark finally broke their dry spell.

A jumper by Khobuntin and a triple by Rono put NU ahead by 20-points, 31-11 shortly after. Desiderio kept barreling to the hoop, which yielded him three points off free throws, 31-14, but a triple by Neypes brought the lead back to 20. A triple by Marata over Parks then made the difference 17 anew, 34-17, heading to the second half.

The Bulldogs made 11 of their 28 attempts (39 percent), with six out of 16 three-pointers connecting (38 percent). They out-rebounded the Maroons 26-19 and converted seven turnover points off five UP turnovers.

Villamor led his team with seven points, followed by Neypes and Parks with six and five markers respectively.

The Maroons made five of their 33 attempts from the field (15 percent), including none of their treys. UP also only got two turnover points off nine NU miscues.

?Rookies Kyles Lao and Paul Desiderio led the team with four points apiece at the half.


The Maroons started the third quarter strong, scoring five straight off another triple by Marata and a hook by Soyud, 34-21. A put-back by Alolino off an Aroga miss increased NU’s lead, but a jumper by Lao from the right wing kept the lead at 13. Another foul and one by Aroga upped the lead to 16, 39-23, before Soyud struck anew.

A jumper by Marata kept the lead at 13, 43-30, but free throws and a lay-up by Parks made it 47-30, with the Bulldogs in full control of the game. Scores by Javillonar and Parks closed the third canto at 55-35.

Javillonar hit a triple to start the fourth quarter, which was countered by a jumper by JR Gallarza. After two free throws by JJ Alejandro, the Maroons went on a 9-0 run, which culminated in a hook shot by Soyud to make it 60-46. A split by Mark De Guzman stopped the bleeding for the Bulldogs, but UP forward Chris Ball streaked inside for an easy lay-up to keep the lead manageable at 13, 61-48.

Free throws by Soyud further cut the lead to only 11 points, 61-50, but a split by Aroga put it back at 12. Mikee Reyes stole the ball off a fumble by NU on the inbounds pass and laid it to make it 10, 62-52.

At that point, Parks took over, drawing two fouls on two consecutive forays to the hoop to keep NU’s lead respectable, 66-52. Marata chucked a triple which barely hit the rim, and a jumper and a triple by Aroga and Javillonar closed out the eliminations round for NU in a high note, 71-52.

The Maroons out-rebounded the Bulldogs 52-42, converting nine second-chance points from 21 offensive rebounds. They however were just 20-of-73 from the field (27 percent) and struggled mightily from the three-point line (2-of-17) and the free throw line (10-of-21).

Soyud top-scored for the Maroons with 14 points and a tourney-high 15 rebounds. Marata followed suit with 12 points and seven rebounds, making both three-pointers for his team.

The Bulldogs put a punctuation mark on their eliminations stint early, as coach Altamirano disclosed their plans to travel to Perth, Australia for their training camp.

Ateneo and San Beda are also abroad in preparation for the collegiate season.

“We’re going against semi-pro teams. We haven’t seen them yet, but that’s what the people in Australia said,” Altamirano commented.

The Maroons meanwhile continue to feel out their roster, after losing several rotation players such as Paolo Romero (injury) and Jett Manuel (studying abroad). Both their Cameroonians are still sitting out their residency years.

The Maroons will continue to rummage for their first win as they go up against the rebuilding Adamson Falcons on Friday, May 24 at 2:30pm, while the Bulldogs return to action on the first week of June for the playoffs. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

?NU – Parks 15, Aroga 14, Javillonar 12, Villamor 7, Neypes 6, Alejandro 5, Alolino 4, Rono 3, Rosario 2, Khobuntin 2, De Guzman 1

UP – Soyud 14, Marata 12, Lao 6, Ball 4, Desiderio 4, Wong 3, Asilum 2, Reyes 2, Gallarza 2, Suarez 2, Pascual 0, Gingerich 0, Amar 0, Paras 0, Harris 0

Quarter scoring: 21-7, 34-16, 55-35, 71-52