AFTER 44 years, National University (NU) is back at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball finals.
The Bulldogs continued their supremacy over top seed Ateneo de Manila and pulled off a 65-63 escape behind the heroics of Jelo Alolino, to claim the first finals seat of the UAAP Season 77 championship berth on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
And even the 20-minute lull due to power fluctuation won’t stop NU in reaching the best-of-three finals for the first time since 1970.
Alolino delivered the Bulldogs’ final five points, including the go-ahead two free throws that gave NU a 65-63 lead with 9.3 seconds remaining.
A freak thunderstorm outside the coliseum momentarily paralyzed the game for more than 20 minutes.
When play resumed, Ateneo went to its main man Kiefer Ravena whose drive was swatted away by Alfred Aroga that turned out to be the biggest defensive stop for the Bulldogs, who beat the Blue Eagles four straight this season.
“I was reading the Bible this morning and I read the story of Jericho. It was a message by God to me that finally we broke our own Jericho. It took us three times to get into the finals, and by God’s grace we were able to make it,” NU Head Coach Eric Altamirano said.
“I think the last play was favorable for us. We were on defense and it was hard for them coming off a long layoff. We knew where they were going and we knew how to stop them,” he added.
Aroga finished with a double-double game for the Bulldogs with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Alolino added 12 markers. Glenn Khobuntin added 11, while Troy Rosario chipped in nine for NU, which will play the winner of La Salle-Far Eastern University semifinal match that was being played as of press time.
In his final game for the Blue Eagles, Chris Newsome tallied a game-high 22 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while Ravena added 18 points and seven assists in what could be his final game in the UAAP.
Ravena, who will be named the season Most Valuable Player (MVP) in Game Two of the finals, gave a hint that he may not return to Ateneo next season.
NU dominated the game early, erecting a 25-13 lead at the 6:04 mark, but Newsome kept the Blue Eagles within striking distance, putting up 11 of his 15 points to cut the lead to 27-32 entering the break.
Newsome then found help from Ravena and Von Pessumal, to string together 14 of the team’s 20 points in the third period to gain a one-point advantage, 47-46, at the end of the quarter.
Meanwhile, the unbeaten NU women’s team moved within a win of winning the crown after beating FEU, 80-58, in Game One of their finals.
Led by season MVP Afril Bernardino and Gemma Miranda, who racked up 12 points apiece, the Lady Bulldogs are a win away from completing a 16-game sweep of the tournament.
Image credits: Alysa Salen