NATIONAL University hurdled a gritty University of the East side and moved closer to achieving a coveted target yesterday.
The Bulldogs turned back the Red Warriors 70-61 for their third straight win and clinched at least a playoff for a Final Four slot in the 85th UAAP basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A Luis Villegas trey pulled UE to within 55-57 with still 3:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.
But NU uncorked a 7-0 counterattack capped by a Steve Nash Enriquez three-pointer that made it 64-55, only 91 ticks left.
Backup rookie big man PJ Palacielo gave the Jeff Napa-mentored Bulldogs a big boost with 10 points, to go with three rebounds and two assists, while John Lloyd Clemente also had 10 markers.
Jake Figueroa and John Galinato also added nine points each for NU, which rolled to its third straight triumph, counting a 71-60 victory over Far Eastern University last Nov. 5, and rose to 8-3 for solo second.
The Warriors, coming off a 69-83 defeat to defending champion University of the Philippines 13 days ago, slipped to 4-7.
“Hindi na muna namin iniisip iyong Final Four. Iniisip namin how we can sustain kung nasaan kaming posisyon,” Napa said.
“Coming to whatever next round na mangyayari, kailangan namin talagang mag-level up kasi hindi naman puwede na matatapos lang dito sa eliminations,” he added.
In the first game, CJ Austria boomed in a buzzer-beating three-pointer that lifted La Salle to a heart-stopping 81-78 squeaker over Adamson University, snapping a four-game losing streak.
The lefty Austria’s dagger of a triple from the left wing off a Ben Phillips assist punctuated the Green Archers’ 11-4 windup that sealed the win and kept alive their Final Four hopes.
