NATIONAL U was nothing short of merciless on Saturday, as it pummeled University of East, 76-56, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to get on the board in the UAAP Season 89 men's basketball tournament.
The Bulldogs began the beating right off the bat with a 19-3 beginning, and for all the first quarter, the Red Warriors only got eight points.
It was a trademark total team effort performance for NU, with Reinhard Jumamoy leading the pack with his 12 points and three assits.
Jumamoy was closely backstopped by bigs Mo Diassana and PJ Palacielo, who both logged 12 rebounds to go along with 12 points for the former and nine for the latter.
The Bulldogs lifted their foot off the pedal by a bit to see their imposing momentum slow in the second half, as the Red Warriors hammered home a 20-point third quarter which kept the game interesting heading into the final frame.
And while National U did re-assert control, it was still not up to par with head coach Jeff Napa’s standards, especially with the team desperate to make amends for their opener loss to La Salle.
“Kailangan every day, day in, day out, ready kami to all-out,” he said. “Kasi nung first game, andaming lapses na kailangan namin itama. Pero this game, especially in the third quarter, medyo nag-relax eh.”
Birthday blues
If the motivation to wash the bitter taste of defeat was not enough, the blue-and-gold also had additional motivation of capturing its first win of the season on Napa’s 45th birthday.
“Hindi dapat ito yung resulta ng gusto namin mangyari. Hindi rason kung ano man yung may occasion ngayon, kasi nga, yung UAAP, iba na ‘to, eh,” the fiery mentor said.
As Napa added, a win with spurts of complacency will not be tolerated, especially with their next opponent being the University of the Philippines.
“Kasi, coming to next Saturday, malakas yung kalaban namin eh. So hindi pwedeng magiging ganoon yung mindset namin. Kailangan, yun nga, consistent kami sa gusto namin na mangyari talaga,” he said.
Kenshin Padrones rounded out the Bulldogs in double-digits at 11 points and seven boards.
For UE, Ola Ajani and Toper Lagat were the lone bright spots, both with 11 points in their second straight loss to start the season, and 22nd overall dating back to 2024.
The Scores:
NATIONAL U 76 – Jumamoy 12, Diassana 12, Padrones 11, Palacielo 9, Garcia 7, Francisco 6, Alfanta 6, Laconsay 4, Figueroa 4, Serrano 3, Miranda 2, Reyes 0, Perciano 0, Cartel 0, Tulabut 0, Solomon 0.
UE 56 – Ajani 11, Lagat 11, Sabroso 9, Carillo 6, Tañedo 6, Santos 4, Cruz-Dumont 3, Dungca 2, Robles 0, Vasquez 0, Datumalim 0.
Quarters: 25-8, 42-20, 54-40, 76-56.
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