DEFENDING champion National University Nazareth School rode Reinhard Jumamoy's 30-point outburst to stave off elimination with a 93-82 victory over No. 2 Far Eastern University-Diliman on Tuesday in the UAAP Season 85 high school boys basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Bullpups' first win against the Baby Tamaraws set the stage for a Final Four decider at 4 p.m. on Friday at the San Juan Arena.
The winner faces No. 1 seed Adamson, which dispatched University of Santo Tomas, 62-55, in the other Final Four pairing.
READ: Adamson reaches UAAP juniors finals for first time in two decades
"At least naka-isa kami sa FEU, sa wakas," said NSNU coach Kevin de Castro. "Nothing is impossible."
Jumamoy, who flirted with a triple-double with 13 rebounds and eight assists, hit the biggest basket of the game - a three-pointer in the final 2:05 that gave the Bullpups an 85-75 cushion.
Elijah Yusi also lit up in his first start for NSNU with 23 points and grabbed eight boards. Pervi Timbang added 15 points and five rebounds while Jedrick Solomon had a double-double of 11 points and 11 boards.
"Para sa amin ito ang pinakamagandang game this season," De Castro said.
John Rey Pasaol exploded for 32 points while Kirby Mongcopa had 11 points, nine boards, four blocks, and two steals for the Baby Tamaraws.
The scores:
Second GameNUNS (93) - Jumamoy 30, Yusi 23, Timbang 15, Solomon 11, Colonia 8, Alfanta 4, Tagotongan 2, Herrera 0, Perciano 0.FEU (82) - Pasaol 32, Mongcopa 11, Pre 8, Cabonilas 8, Felipe 8, Miranda 6, Salangsang 5, Daa 2, Pascual 2, Herbito 0.Quarterscores: 24-22, 44-38, 67-65, 93-82
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