PAUL Francisco turned out to be the unlikely savior for National U, unboxing that surprise source of offense in extra time to pull off the 71-66 overtime win over Ateneo in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Fil-Canadian senior accounted for all of the Bulldogs' 10 points in the last five minutes, including the big three with 38.1 seconds left to make it a 71-66 affair.
Francisco finished with 13 points on a sizzling 4-of-6 shooting from deep, as NU finishes the first round on top with its 6-1 win-loss record. Even if 5-1 University of Santo Tomas triumphs over Adamson later, the Bulldogs are technically first by virtue of their head-to-head victory vs. the Growling Tigers.
"Wala kaming pakialam kung nasaan kami ngayon. Ang importante sa amin is how we perform every game. Ang importante yung growth ng every player talaga," said coach Jeff Napa.
"Hindi na namin iniisip kung ano yung posisyon namin ngayon, so we have to refuel again kasi next week, start na ng second round."
Bulldogs brand of basketball
Jake Figueroa almost tallied a triple-double for the Bulldogs with 13 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks; Steve Nash Enriquez chipped in 12 points from a pair of triples, three boards, three assists, and three steals; and Omar John pounded in 11 and 9.
NU lost grip of an early 18-point first half lead and a 55-48 advantage with 3:52 to go, as Shawn Tuano's three capped off the Blue Eagles' huge 13-6 windup to tie the game at 61.
Francisco had a chance to win the game in regulation, but missed his jumper and so did Jolo Manansala's tip at the buzzer.
Yet he made sure to have no letups in the next five minutes for the gold-and-blue, with his explosion silencing the blue-and-white opposition.
Jaden Lazo top-scored for Ateneo with 17 points on 4-of-9 clip from deep, Tuano got 15 off the bench, and Dom Escobar collected a near-triple-double of 14 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals.
The blue-and-white, however, slumped to its third defeat out of the last four to sink to 4-3, as it missed the services of Jared Bahay (shoulder) and Divine Adili (back).
The Scores:
NU 71 – Figueroa 13, Francisco 13, Enriquez 12, John 11, Manansala 9, Santiago 7, Jumamoy 3, Palacielo 2, Garcia 1, Dela Cruz 0, Padrones 0, Tulabut 0, Parks 0.
ATENEO 66 – Lazo 17, Tuano 15, Escobar 14, Espinosa 10, Ladi 9, Ong 1, Bongo 0, Lazaro 0, Nieto 0, Espina 0, Gamber 0.
Quarters: 19-11, 34-22, 48-40, 61-61, 71-66.
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