UAAP: Tams stave off late Bulldog run to take Game 1 of finals

The FEU Tamaraws staved off a late NU run to claim Game 1 of the UAAP Men's Basketball Finals, 75-70, on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Tams held on to a 10-point lead late in the fourth, before the Bulldogs went to Alfred Aroga for a 5-0 run to slice the lead in half, 62-57, with five and a half minutes remaining. FEU cashed in on a pair of jumpers, before NU went on an 8-2 run to cut the lead to three, 71-68, with 1:01 to go.

Belo countered with a drive at the other end, though, while Aroga and Gelo Alolino struggled to convert only half of their charities, 73-70. With time running out, Glenn Khobuntin forced a triple to tie but failed, as Achi Inigo secured two freethrows to put the game away.

The bulldogs were successful with their jumpshots in the first, but FEU had Reymar Jose inside to set the tone. Five straight points from Ron Dennison pushed the Tams ahead, 14-13, before Aroga ended the period with a drive.

NU surprised FEU with a 15-4 run to start the second, capped off by a Reden Celda layup at the 6:02 mark, 30-18. The Tams bit back with an 11-0 rally, as four straight from Jose trimmed the lead to one, 30-29. Back to back hits from Alolino ended the half with NU ahead by three, 38-35.

Come the third, Roger Pogoy took it upon himself to ignite the FEU offense, scoring 10 points off triples and finishes off the break. A 6-0 swing in the final three minutes stretched the lead to 13, before Khobuntin strung three points together to make it a 10-point game heading into the payoff period. - RAF, GMA News