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Alfred Aroga stands tall as NU dominates UP

After an emotional loss to Ateneo in their last outing, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons fell flat against the National University Bulldogs, 66-51, Sunday afternoon at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

NU import Alfred Aroga bounced back from a forgettable game against the Red Warriors with an 18-point, 10-rebound effort. He shot a scorching 9 of 12 from the field against the undersized UP front court.

With their 8-4 win loss tally, the Bulldogs are still in the hunt for a playoff to get a twice-to-beat advantage in the UAAP Final Four.

UP on the other hand falls to 1-12. They will close out their season against the Adamson Falcons. The Maroons hoped to ‘win some’ this season and they could do exactly that as they aim to beat the Falcons anew.

Mikee Reyes led UP again with 13 points and three assists while his fellow point guard Henri Asilum added 11 points. JR Gallarza chipped in nine points and eight rebounds.

The Bulldogs scored 46 of their 66 points inside the paint, taking full advantage of UP’s lack of ceiling. NU also outrebounded UP 43-29.

The Maroons led by three points early in the game but when NU got its rhythm, UP never got the chance to climb out of the deficit.

NU’s lead reached a high of 25 points against the hapless UP squad in the second half of the game. With the game’s result no longer in question, UP scored a 9-0 run to close out the game and make the final score more respectable.

The Main Man: Aroga’s horrible performance against UE in their last loss is now ancient history as the NU import bounced back against UP. With no Charles Mammie to offer up any kind of resistance, Aroga dominated the paint the entire game.

Honorable Mentions: Although Aroga was the only Bulldog who scored in double digits,  Gelo Alolino, Troy Rosario, and Glenn Khobuntin added nine points each.

Game Turning Point: The Bulldogs only led by 12 in the first half but the game was effectively over. With their defense limiting the Maroons to single-digit scoring in the first two quarters, it was clear that there was no getting back from it

He Said It:

NU head coach Eric Altamirano: I told the boys to assert our identity and it starts from defense. We just have to play it one game at a time. Win the games we can win.

The scores:

NU 66: Aroga 18, Alolino 9, Rosario 9, Khobuntin 9,  Javelona 5, Celda 5, Perez 4, Diputado 3, Betayene 2, Alejandro 2, Yu 0, Neypes 0, Tansingco 0.

UP 51: Reyes 13, Asilum 11, Gallarza 9, Dario 8, Juruena 4, Vito 2, Moralde 2, Lao 2, Harris 0, Gingerich 0, Lim 0.

Quarters: 15-8, 29-17, 50-32, 66-51.