NU, Adamson maintain UAAP juniors hoops lead heading to rematch

MANILA, Philippines – The NU Bullpups toppled the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 86-78, on Sunday, February 12, in what they called a “statement win” as they continued their bid for a third straight UAAP juniors’ basketball crown.

The Bullpups, which improved to 8-1, were led by RJ Colonia’s 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Reinhard Jumamoy fell 2 assists shy of a triple-double with 19 markers, 10 boards, and 8 dimes.

Trailing 60-58 heading into the fourth quarter, NU turned back the Blue Eagles with a 12-2 spurt to shift the momentum to its advantage.

“For us, this is a statement win…. We want to win as many games as possible in the second round,” said first-year head coach Kevin de Castro in Filipino.

“We will have a tough game against Adamson, because they want to avenge their first-round loss. It is crucial because they are one of the contenders,” De Castro added, referring to their 79-76 opening day win over the Baby Falcons.

Kristian Porter tallied a 26-point, 16-rebound double-double, while Lebron Nieto recorded 24 markers, hauled in 6 rebounds, and dished out 5 dimes for the Blue Eagles, who fell to 3-6.

Meanwhile, the Baby Falcons secured their eighth straight victory at the expense of the UP Junior Fighting Maroons, 81-70.

Longtime Adamson mentor Mike Fermin described their win against the now 1-8 Junior Maroons as a reckless performance.

“It was a good game, but it was a sloppy win for us. We had so many turnovers and miscues on defense,” explained Fermin, calling out his side’s 18 turnovers.

“It means we have many more adjustments to do before going up against a very strong team [in NU],” he continued.

Peter Rosillo led the Baby Falcons’ charge with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, while Justine Garcia contributed 16 markers.

In the third game, the FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws leaned on a dominant fourth quarter to dump the La Salle Zobel Junior Archers, 86-56, and maintain their third-place standing.

The Baby Tamaraws, who outscored the Junior Archers, 31-11, in the payoff period, were led by Luke Felipe’s 18 points and 4 steals.

FEU-Diliman also forced 18 turnovers against Zobel, which it turned into 22 points.

On the losing side, Rhyle Melencio put up another impressive performance of 13 markers and 16 boards.

In the final game of the quadruple-header, the UST Tiger Cubs claimed a 68-54 victory against the UE Junior Warriors led by Mark Llemit’s 20 points and 11 rebounds.

UST outscored UE 24-8 in the fourth quarter, sealing its fourth win in nine games to create a tie with La Salle Zobel.

Vhon Roldan led the Junior Warriors with 14 points and 5 rebounds as his team fell to its eighth defeat in nine outings. – Rappler.com