National University turned up the heat at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, scorching the young and rebuilding Adamson University five, 62-25, in the continuation of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.

The Bulldogs – gaining ground over the rest of the pack at first place with a 4-1 mark – looked sharp on both ends of the floors since the opening tip, limiting the Soaring Falcons to just 3 points in the first period while scoring 19 in what turned out to be a blowout victory for the Sampaloc-based squad.

JJ Alejandro scored 13 points coupled with 6 boards to lead the kennel of the Bulldogs while Gelo Alolino chipped in 10 markers and 8 rebounds to cap off an illustrious performance for National University.

“We focused mainly on what we needed to do since the first quarter. We had a great scouting report of the Falcons and we just did what we really needed to do,” said soft-spoken NU head coach Eric Altamirano.

The Bulldogs led by 29 points by the end of the first half and finished the game with a 37-point margin in a perfect showing for the team.

The Bulldogs also exhibited one of their best defensive performances of the season, forcing the Falcons to commit a total of 15 turnovers and led a block party by swatting away 10 shot attempts.

Team skipper Don Trollano, who returned to action after a one-game ban, led the way for his team with seven points and six rebounds.

This was the lowest known scoring record since the 39 points scored by University of the Philippines in Season 76 and NU in Season 74.

Earlier, Far Eastern University engineered a come-from-behind win over season host University of the East, 73-63.

Mark Belo led the charge, scoring 21 points on a nine-for-12 clip from the field, while Anthony Hargrove posted a double-double output of 14 points and 12 boards.

Paul Varilla and Bong Gallanza led the gallant stand of UE, contributing 12 and 11 points, respectively.