Advertisement

Staying alive: Bulldogs take Game 2 to force rubber match vs. Tamaraws

Carlo Pamintuan
Gelo Alolino of the National University reacts after hitting a basket against the Far Eastern University during Game 2 of the UAAP Season 77 Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on 08 October 2014. (Czeasar Dancel/NPPA Images)

Faced with another elimination game, the National University Bulldogs responded as they have all season long. They went out and won.

The Bulldogs stayed alive and forced a do-or-die Game 3 in the UAAP Finals with a 62-47 victory over the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, Wednesday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Jeth Troy Rosario played the best game of his collegiate career with 19 points and 14 rebounds, nine coming off the offensive glass, as the Bulldogs dominated from bell-to-bell and held the Tamaraws to their lowest output of the season.

NU badly outrebounded FEU 58 to 39 in the game. The Bulldogs’ defense also limited the Tamaraws to a paltry 27.87% shooting from the field.

Known for their defense, the Bulldogs went back to their roots to finally beat FEU in three outings. It was also the fourth straight win by NU when facing elimination, dating back to their win over UE in their playoff for the fourth seed.

With their lead down to just six points and the FEU faithful’s cheers getting louder, Gelo Alolino stepped up to silence the crowd and guarantee a Game 3. The point guard scored back-to-back triples to give NU a 56-44 lead with just over a minute left in the game.

Alolino scored 10 points in the last 10 minutes as he was once again the steadying force for the Bulldogs.

Mac Belo led FEU in scoring with 17 points while Mike Tolomia added 15. However, outside the two, no other Tamaraw really got going. Roger Pogoy struggled, making only one of his nine field goal attempts. They also got nothing from import Anthony Hargrove.

It was particularly bad for FEU’s bigs on the boards as they allowed 27 offensive rebounds for NU while only getting 15 for their side.

Game 3 of the UAAP Finals will be on Wednesday, October 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

After suffering from cramps during the tail-end of Game 1, Rosario made sure he’d make up for lost time. by spearheading a blazing start for the Bulldogs. A triple from the lanky player at the 4:40 mark gave NU its first taste of a double digit lead at 13-3.

Rosario scored nine points in the first quarter to lead the Bulldogs to a 18-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

FEU fell further behind in the second quarter as Rosario continued to make the Tamaraws pay with baskets off offensive rebounds. Although the Tamaraws only made 2 of 12 inside the paint, their outside shooting finally clicked late in the second as they brought NU’s lead down to eight at 26-18.

The Tamaraws came to within six in the fourth period at 50-44, but Alolino sank his back-to-back triples to virtually put the game away.

The Main Man: Rosario didn’t want Game 2 of the Finals to be his last stint in the UAAP. After suffering from cramps in Game 1, Rosario beasted inside with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while also limiting Belo’s scoring.

Honorable Mentions: Alolino stepped up late in the game by making two triples with less than two minutes left. Senior Khobuntin also played a good game with 17 markers.

Game Turning Point: After fighting from double-digit deficits for much of the game, the Tamaraws finally got within six with two minutes left in the ball game. Alolino, at that point, was shooting 1 of 12 from the field. But when the Bulldogs needed a leader, the point guard stepped up again. He nailed back-to-back triples to give NU a 56-44 and take the game away from the Tamaraws.

They Said It:

NU head coach Eric Altamirano: Every time they score in the 70s, they win. We went back to our fundamentals. We went back to our defense. Our guards handled the pressure well. They made a run but we handled it well.

Troy Rosario: Gusto ko lang makatulong sa team. Ayokong maging last game ko ito. Ito yung start ng finals namin. Yung defense, di ko kaya mag-isa yun. Ang teammates ko yung dahilan kung bakit naging maganda ang laro namin.

The scores:

NU 62: Rosario 19, Khobuntin 17, Alolino 12, Aroga 7, Alejandro 2, Diputado 2, Neypes 2, Javelona 1, Betayene 0, Perez 0.

FEU 47: Belo 17, Tolomia 15, Inigo 7, Pogoy 4, Cruz 2, Jose 2, Tamsi 0, Dennison 0, Ru. Escoto 0, Hargrove 0, Denila 0, Lee Yu 0, Ugsang 0, Ri. Escoto 0, David 0.

Quarters: 18-6, 26-18, 43-30, 62-47.