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UAAP: NU ends six-year drought against Ateneo

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The NU Bulldogs have beaten Ateneo for the first time since 2016. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/sports/11/02/20221102-uaap_nu.jpg"/><figcaption>The NU Bulldogs have beaten Ateneo for the first time since 2016. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News.</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATED) National University ended a long losing streak to Ateneo de Manila University in thrilling fashion on Wednesday night, as they held on for a crucial 78-74 triumph against the Blue Eagles at the Mall of Asia AArena.The Bulldogs have not beaten Ateneo since the first round of UAAP Season 79, when Rev Diputado fired NU to a 70-60 triumph on September 11, 2016. But they ended a 10-game losing streak to the Blue Eagles by showing tremendous poise down the stretch, and out-playing the cagers from Katipunan from both ends.Jolo Manansala earned Player of the Game honors with 17 points, 11 blocks, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. Michael Malonzo also earned plaudits with a remarkable effort on defense, and finished with seven points and four rebounds. &quot;At last napunta rin sa amin &#x27;yung suwerte. For the past few games, &#x27;yung swerte hindi napuunta sa amin. Although we worked hard, yung luck napupunta sa kabila lagi,&quot; NU coach Jeff Napa said, after his players arrested a two-game slide in UAAP Season 85 and improved to 6-3.&quot;Happy ako sa mga players ko, they really stepped up,&quot; he added. The Bulldogs squandered a 14-point lead in the face of Ateneo&#x27;s third quarter storm, and the fourth was a tight affair where neither team could take full control. The Blue Eagles last took the lead with 5:10 to go, when Dave Ildefonso rose for a triple over Kean Baclaan. But Manansala&#x27;s tireless work on the boards paid off with a putback in the next NU possession, and he added a layup with 4:22 to go for a 68-65 NU lead.Their advantage reached five points off a Germy Mahinay layup with under four minutes left, 70-65, before Ateneo captain BJ Andrade sank a three-pointer to make it a one-possession game with 3:34 to go. After a Baclaan jumper stretched NU&#x27;s lead to four points, 72-68, the Bulldogs fell prey to their turnovers that allowed Ateneo to tie the game. Patrick Yu&#x27;s botched inbound forced NU to send Kai Ballungay to the line, where he made both free throws. In the next possession, Baclaan drove into traffic and coughed up the ball, and Andrade converted his miscue into the game-tying bucket, 72-all, with 46.7 seconds left.But the Bulldogs did not fold. They executed a superb play out of a timeout that got Manansala free for the go-ahead layup with 38.4 seconds left, and Malonzo came up with a huge rejection of Dave Ildefonso on the other end to preserve NU&#x27;s 74-72 lead. The Blue Eagles still had a chance when Baclaan made just one of two free throws, but Andrade committed a brutal turnover by catching the ball while still out of bounds. Malonzo&#x27;s split made it a four-point game, and Ateneo kept the door open when Ange Kouame scored with 5.1 seconds left for a 76-74 count.But Yu made no mistake from the free throw line to ice the game, securing the Bulldogs&#x27; first win over Ateneo in six years.&quot;Yun naman lagi ang sinasabi ko sa kanila talaga, sila naman tatapos, hindi naman ako,&quot; Napa said of his players&#x27; poise in the clutch. &quot;Ang challenge lang ulit, we have to be consistent. In order to be a big-time player, talaga, they really have to step out of my shadow,&quot; he also said.Baclaan had 10 points for the Bulldogs, who forced Ateneo to 25 turnovers, turning them into 22 points. They also flustered the Blue Eagles inside the arc: Ateneo made just 15 of their 35 two-point field goals. NU also had a 52-28 advantage in points inside the paint.Andrade had a career game, with 21 points and three steals for the Blue Eagles. Ballungay had 15 points, and Ildefonso scored 14 against his former team. But Kouame, the league&#x27;s reigning Most Valuable Player, was limited to just two points on 1-of-4 shooting, while grabbing just four rebounds in 28 minutes. Ateneo dropped to 5-3 in the men&#x27;s basketball tournament.<div>The Scores:</div>NU 78 -- Manansala 17, Baclaan 10, Clemente 9, John 8, Yu 6, Minerva 6, Malonzo 5, Enriquez 5, Palacielo 4, Figueroa 3, Galinato 3, Mahinay 2, Tibayan 0, Tulabut 0.ATENEO 74 -- Andrade 21, Ballungay 15, Ildefonso 14, Garcia 6, Koon 4, Lazaro 4, Chiu 3, Gomez 3, Kouame 2, Padrigao 2, Quitevis 0.<div>Quarters: 14-20, 41-29, 56-57, 78-74.</div>

NU ended a long losing streak to Ateneo in thrilling fashion on Wednesday, holding on for a 78-74 triumph against the Blue Eagles at the MOA Arena.

UAAP: NU ends six-year drought against Ateneo

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UAAP: NU ends six-year drought against Ateneo

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 02, 2022 09:30 PM PHT

|

Updated November 02, 2022 09:53 PM PHT

Read More:

basketball

UAAP

UAAP Season 85

UAAP basketball

Ateneo Blue Eagles

NU Bulldogs

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