Ericka Alcantara | FCF
(UPDATED: August 18, 5:36pm) National University thoroughly outclassed a careless Adamson University five, 80-48, in the continuation of the UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball action on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Backed by Emmanuel Mbe’s 21 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, the Bulldogs unleashed an unrelenting 13-0 run in the fourth quarter, eventually burying the Falcons 32 points deep.
Bobby Ray Parks registered consistent numbers once again with 16 rebounds, 6 boards along with five assists.
“It sounds like a cliche, but we were able to do (the first quarter run) on defense, we were able to limit them to seven points in the first and eight points in the fourth,” said NU head coach Eric Altamirano.
“Fortunately for the team, we were able to get some shots off of our transition. We had 27 points off of our transition and that really helped us kasi nagsabay yung offense at defense naming for this game,” added the third year NU mentor.
Roider Cabrera and Jericho Cruz, on the other hand, top scored for Adamson with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Adamson’s inability to take care of the ball, committing 23 turnovers overall compared to NU’s 17, was one among many illnesses by the boys of coach Leo Austria. In addition, NU’s frontline led by Mbe had the better of Ingrid Sewa and Rodney Brondial with the Bulldogs outrebounding the Falcons, 41-30.
After a tight 7 minutes into the first quarter, Parks finally broke the game’s sluggish pace with 5 straight points to fuel the Bulldog’s offensive flame. By the second quarter, the Bulldogs were seemingly in control, harassing Adamson’s defense in all directions to lead at halftime by 12 points.
The Bulldogs further increased their lead by 15 in the end of the third canto thanks to a strong presence under the board, grabbing a number of crucial rebounds which crippled Adamson’s already weary offense.
NU breaks their tie with UE for second place with a 6-3 mark following the win, while extending the San Marcelino dribblers’ misery with losses in five of their last six games to fall to 3-6.
