NATIONAL University had to pull this one deep.
And by doing so, the Bulldogs punched their ticket to the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball Final Four.
Exhibiting immense intestinal fortitude, NU came back from the dead and escaped with a 66-65 stunner against Adamson, Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
Jake Figueroa found a leaking Mark Parks for the game-tying basket with 10.9 seconds left and was cool as ice as he canned the go-ahead free throw for the Jhocson side which have now won three straight games and remains at the top of the standings at 9-2.
Parks' late-game heroics wouldn't be possible, however, if not for Matt Erolon uncharacteristically missing both of his free throws with 15.9 ticks on the clock.
Nonetheless, Adamson still had its chances but Mathew Montebon who was sizzling hot all game long would botch both of his late attempts for the win.
Figueroa, as always, was the stabilizer for NU with his 13 points, six assists, four rebounds, and four steals, getting things done for the gold-and-blue despite his 5-of-14 shooting and accounting for four of his team's 15 turnovers.
Parks added 10 points, three boards, and two steals off the bench, Francisco scored nine before fouling in those waning seconds, and Reinhard Jumamoy made two key treys in the fourth quarter to finish with eight points and two rebounds.
You win and you learn
"Sabi nga ni [TNT] coach Chot [Reyes] kagabi, yung panalo ka pero pakiramdam mo talo ka," said coach Jeff Napa, lamenting the fight that Adamson gave them.
"Yung Adamson, binigay nila best nila, they were prepared and ready, but the basketball gods binless pa rin kami despite us playing a bad game."
Indeed, it's not the kind of performance you would expect from the Bulldogs being outrebounded by the Soaring Falcons, 49 to 33, and being held to just 38.5-percent from the field.
But it's just the maturity that one could expect from an elite team like NU, pulling one out of the bag despite these difficulties.
"Learning sa amin ito na maging ready kami. We have to take care of our own and be ready especially last stretch na ito ng second round," said Napa.
"Dapat kami ang mag-raise ng bar sa level of competition namin. Yun ang challenge ko sa team, na kailangan ipakita namin ang best performance para kahit paano yung goal na gusto namin, unti-unti naming makuha."
Montebon led the Soaring Falcons with 20 points on 4-of-9 shooting from distance, alongside five rebounds and two assists.
Cedrick Manzano tallied a double-double of 12 points, 10 boards, two assists, and two rejections, and Manu Anabo got 11 points and seven rebounds in the losing cause as Adamson drops to 5-6 in the standings.
The Scores:
NU 66 -- Figueroa 13, Parks 10, Francisco 9, Jumamoy 8, John 7, Manansala 5, Garcia 4, Palacielo 4, Padrones 2, Dela Cruz 2, Enriquez 2, Tulabut 0.
ADAMSON 65 -- Montebon 20, Manzano 12, Anabo 11, Torres 7, Ojarikre 5, Fransman 3, Jaymalin 3, Perez 2, Demisana 2, Erolon 0, Medina 0, Tumaneng 0, Cañete 0, A. Ronzone 0.
Quarters: 18-14, 31-30, 40-48, 66-65.
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