Bulldogs dragged into OT but pull out win over Falcons

This time, National University made sure to come out on top.

Dragged into another tight battle, the Bulldogs showed poise under duress to escape with an 81-77 victory in overtime over the stubborn Adamson Falcons Thursday and get back on track in the UAAP Season 75 men’s basketball action at the MOA Arena.

Still smarting from a deflating 86-87 double-overtime defeat at the hands of La Salle last Saturday, the Bulldogs put themselves in a shaky situation anew after yielding a whopping 12-point lead in the last 83 seconds of regulation, but still managed to hold off the pesky Falcons in the extension period.

Bobby Ray Parks waxed hot all game long with 31 points, all but eight coming in the first 30 minutes of play, while Cameroon import Emmanuel Mbe added 14 points and a game-best 20 rebounds, enough to give NU its fifth win against three defeats, good for solo third.

“I told them not to lose heart. This is part of our growing pains,” stated NU coach Eric Altamirano. "For us to grow, we need these types of games. It was an ugly win, but we'll take it.”

Eric Camson finished with 23 points while gunner Roider Cabrera fired 16 of his 22 points in the fourth, including a game-tying three pointer in the crunch, that helped the Falcons erased a 57-69 deficit, only to lose steam in the extra period.

The Bulldogs, who prevailed 77-62 in their first-round meeting last August 5, also extended the Falcons’ losing streak to five and seventh overall against a lone win.
After Cabrera’s two made charities pulled Adamson within 50-54, NU dropped a 15-4 run, capped by a trey off Mark de Guzman for a comfortable 69-57 with 1:23 left.

Just when the Bulldogs seemed headed for a romp, the Falcons put up one gallant stand–a 14-2 surge–behind Cabrera and Camson, who took turns in taking charge in the absence of ace wingman Alex Nuyles (dislocated right shoulder) and center Rodney Brondial (ejection).

But the Bulldogs wouldn’t be denied.

NU reeled in eight straight points, capped by Mbe’s basket, to gain a 79-71 lead at the 2:00 mark. A jumper by Jericho Cruz ended Adamson’s drought then Mbe split his free throws. Camson scored four straight points but they simply ran out of time.

“We started off strong during overtime and that was very important for us," stated Parks, who also had eight rebounds, five assists and two steals and became the first player since James Yap in 2002 to score at least 30 points in back-to-back games.