National University ended the first round of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament elimination round on top, but not after surviving a furious Ateneo fightback.
The Bulldogs needed five extra minutes to outlast the Blue Eagles, 71-66, on Saturday at Araneta Coliseum. Paul Francisco heated up at the right time for NU, which hiked its record to 6-1.
‘My coaches and teammates kept telling me to shoot the ball despite struggling throughout the course game. I credit them for believing in me and telling me to keep shooting it,’ he said.
‘This is good for us because we have some momentum heading into the second round and that’s always good to look at.’
The Bulldogs led by as many as 18 points late in the second quarter before the Blue Eagles battled back and forced overtime thanks to Shawn Tuano’s game-tying 3-pointer, 61-all, with 8.3 seconds to go.
With NU trailing by one in OT, Francisco provided the late heroics, burying back-to-back triples that sealed the game with 42 ticks left.
Francisco fired 10 of his 13 points in extra time, while Jake Figueroa also tallied 13 that went with 10 rebounds. Steve Nash Enriquez added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Jadem Lazo led all scorers with 17 but the Blue Eagles dropped to their third consecutive loss after opening the season at 4-0. Dom Escobar notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.