UAAP: NU moved away to crush UST in the second half

NU Bulldogs at the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball Tournament. UAAP pictures

Manila, Philippine-National University first half tense and Clover University of Santo Thomas, 82-51, Thursday at the UAAP Season 94 Men’s Basketball Tournament Mall of Asia Arena.

Systematically throwing early, NU finally fished a double digit fish from the Shaun Ildefenso basket that gave the Bulldogs a 47-36 lead, 5:43 for the game.

After exchanging baskets between the two squads, Ildefenso then hit four points, giving the Bulldogs a 13-point spread and leading the Growling Tigers to a timeout.

After that break, however, the U.S. immediately made a turnover and missed an attempt, paving the way for a triple elimination for John Figueroa that was wound up as 11 straight points that gave NU a 60-40 spread to the fourth point.

That was enough to get NU to 3-3 and UST to 2-4.

The first two quarters had hardly any role that the game would end in a disaster.

Reyland Torres had 10 points from six minutes into the first half, four of his five attempts from outside the arc, as Patrick U nailed five points ahead of NU in the 35th minute break in the last three minutes of the second period. -31.

True to form, the US tried to survive on a three-person diet and made six attempts out of 18 to keep up with the Bulldogs.

But everything fell apart in the catastrophic second half where the Growling Tigers were completely bent. NU surpassed UST 47-20 in the last two quarters.