Camille Naredo

Shaun Lucido of NU Nazareth in action against Ateneo in the UAAP Season 88 boys' basketball tournament, February 8, 2026 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. UAAP Media

Shaun Lucido of NU Nazareth in action against Ateneo in the UAAP Season 88 boys' basketball tournament, February 8, 2026 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

Article (news)

UAAP Season 88

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770549281584UAAP88 HSBB - Shaun Lucido-6255.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Shaun Lucido of NU Nazareth in action against Ateneo in the UAAP Season 88 boys&#x27; basketball tournament, February 8, 2026 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. UAAP Media" width="960"/>Shaun Lucido of NU Nazareth in action against Ateneo in the UAAP Season 88 boys&#x27; basketball tournament, February 8, 2026 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. UAAP Media</div>MANILA -- Shaun Lucido found his touch in time to lift National University Nazareth School to a slim 81-78 win over Ateneo de Manila University in the UAAP Season 88 boys&#x27; basketball tournament, Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.With the Bullpups trailing 74-71 with 1:55 left, Lucida knocked down back-to-back three-pointers for a crucial 77-74 lead with less than a minute remaining. It was a clutch performance for Lucido, who had missed his first four attempts from beyond the arc. With the result, the Bullpups exacted a measure of revenge against the Blue Eagles, who crushed them 86-63 when they met in the first round on January 22.It was a day of comebacks, as co-captain Charles Esteban and Nigerian center Ola Ajani rallied defending champion University of Santo Tomas in the clutch to stun the University of the East, 60-57, marking a strong return to the win column.With the results, NUNS and Ateneo are now tied at second in the standings with identical 6-2 records, while UST tied UE for sixth place with 3-5 slates.&quot;Alam ko struggling siya eh — 0-of-4 sa three-points — sabi ko lang sa kanya, itira niya lang, papasok din yan. Timely baskets, back-to-back three-points, &#x27;yon yung nagdala sa game namin — yung tapang niya,&quot; Bullpups head coach Kevin de Castro said.&quot;Shaun is Shaun eh, given na &#x27;yon. Siya talaga yung primary guy namin sa offense, pero kailangan niya matutunan dumepensa,&quot; he added.The Blue Eagles had stayed in control earlier as two Ziv Espina layups and a Renzo Gatmaitan triple built a 73-66 lead with 5:55 left. But the Bullpups, behind a Mot Matias layup and a Chad Cartel triple, cut the deficit to 73-71 with 3:46 remaining.With Noah Banal making only one of his three free throws, Lucido seized the moment, hitting back-to-back triples that gave NUNS a crucial 77-74 lead with 46.7 seconds left.From there, the Bullpups played the foul game, with Matias, Lucido, and Corian Cabantog each converting a free throw to seal the final score and NUNS’ sixth win in eight games.Lucido led NUNS with 23 points, eight rebounds, and two assists, while Malian center Moussa Diakite contributed a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, plus one steal. Cartel added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal, while Kurl Figueroa chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, and one steal. Matias nearly posted a double-double with nine points, nine rebounds, four steals, and two assists.For Ateneo, Ziv Espina paced the team with 18 points, one rebound, one assist, one steal, and one block, while Unri Madrangca scored 18 points on six triples, adding three steals, one block, and one rebound. Banal finished with 15 points and four rebounds, while Nigerian center Jude Eriobu posted a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds with five blocks.<div> </div><div>UST ERASES DEFICIT AGAINST UE<img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770549303571UAAP88 HSBB - Ola Ajani-6066.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Ola Ajani of UST celebrates against UE in the UAAP Season 88 boys&#x27; basketball tournament, February 8, 2026 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. UAAP Media" width="960"/>Ola Ajani of UST celebrates against UE in the UAAP Season 88 boys&#x27; basketball tournament, February 8, 2026 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. UAAP Media</div>In the earlier game, the Junior Warriors appeared poised to dominate the Tiger Cubs, as two triples from Jamal Diaz gave UE a nine-point, 54-45 lead with 6:30 remaining. But UST showed its championship poise in the clutch.Esteban scored four points before Jetlee Melano made back-to-back layups, and team captain Kirk Canete converted a triple to pull the Tiger Cubs within 57-56 with 78 seconds left.Esteban’s heroics continued, as he made another layup and forced a turnover on UE’s Ethan Aguas with 31.9 seconds left, setting up Ajani for a dagger floater that extended UST’s lead to 60-57 with 9.5 seconds remaining.The Junior Warriors had a chance to force overtime, closing the game with a 15-3 run, but Aguas and Mhico Abellar missed separate attempts for the game-tying triple. The victory boosted UST’s Final Four hopes.&quot;Very satisfied ako na nakuha namin yung panalo, and nag-step up si Ola and si Charles, kasi sabi ko nga, missing link talaga sila doon sa veterans ko nung first round. Sa second round, good start pinakita nila kaagad na kailangan nila tumulong at kaya nila tumulong,&quot; Tiger Cubs head coach Manu Iñigo said.Ajani finished with a dominant double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds, plus one steal and one block, while Esteban had 11 points, three rebounds, two steals, and one block. Simon Pulongbarit added 10 points, four rebounds, and one steal, and Melano contributed nine points, three steals, two rebounds, and one block. Canete ended with six points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals.For UE, Diaz was the only double-digit scorer with 14 points, five rebounds, and three steals, while Abellar finished with eight points, two rebounds, and one assist. Aguas was limited to six points on 2-of-7 shooting with nine rebounds, while Sizco Roquid was held scoreless on four attempts but added eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.<div> </div><div>The Scores:</div><div>First Game:</div>UST (60) - Ajani 13, Esteban 11, Pulongbarit 10, Melano 9, Canete 6, Canapi 5, Ludovice 3, Bathan 3, Sta. Maria 0, Lapastora 0, Vidanes 0, Candare 0, Bohol 0.UE (57) - Diaz 14, Abellar 8, Timbol 7, Aguas 6, Pascual 6, Edoukou 5, Lorenzo 5, Braga 4, Bual 2, Roquid 0, Delos Reyes 0, Oraa 0.Quarterscores: 12-22, 27-31, 43-48, 60-57.<div> </div><div>Second Game:</div>NUNS (81) - Lucido 23, Diakite 16, Cartel 12, Figueroa 10, M. Matias 9, Cabantog 6, Bouzina 3, Juan 2, R. Matias 0, Natinga 0.Ateneo (78) - Espinas 18, Madrangca 18, Banal 15, Eriobu 13, Leal 9, Gatmaitan 3,Kallos 2, Kaw 0, Lacsamana 0.Quarterscores: 21-22, 45-47, 62-66, 81-78.

Shaun Lucido found his touch in time to lift National University Nazareth School to a slim 81-78 win over Ateneo de Manila University in the #UAAPSeason88 boys' basketball tournament, Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

Shaun Lucido found his touch in time to lift National University Nazareth School to a slim 81-78 win over Ateneo de Manila University in the #UAAPSeason88 boys' basketball tournament, Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

UAAP: Lucido takes charge late, lifts NU Nazareth over Ateneo

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Basketball

UAAP: Lucido takes charge late, lifts NU Nazareth over Ateneo

ABS-CBN News

Published February 08, 2026 07:21 PM PHT

Read More:

abssports

basketball

UAAP

UAAP Season 88

UAAP basketball

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.