ALLAN THE MAN

The National University (NU) Bulldogs held off a late-game charge by the Ateneo Blue Eagles to claim a 70-65 victory and clinch a twice-to-beat edge in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 76 men's basketball tournament Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player Bobby Ray Parks scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and assisted on a dagger three-pointer by Denice Villamor that allowed NU to gain separation from Ateneo with just 22 seconds to go in the contest.

NU finished the elimination round with a 10-4 record, tied with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws. This marks the first time that the Bulldogs will have a twice-to-beat advantage in the semi-finals since the UAAP implemented the Final Four format in 1994.

"We're very humbled with this victory," NU coach Eric Altamirano said after the game. "This is the first time that we're in this position."

"But then again, hindi pa tapos ang misyon namin, 'yung goal namin. We have a great shot of going to the Finals, so we want to stay humble and hungry, to make sure that we stay focused," he added.

NU led by as much as nine points in the third quarter, 49-40, after Jean Mbe scored on back-to-back lay-ups.

But Von Pessumal, who came into the game to replace an ineffective Kiefer Ravena, sparked a 7-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarter to allow Ateneo to make it a one-possession game, 47-49.

Ateneo took the lead for the first time after back-up center JP Erram drilled a jumper from the top of the key to make it 53-52 with a little under six minutes remaining, but Mbe regained the lead back immediately after hitting two free throws to make it 54-53

NU went on to lead by as much as seven points, 62-55, but the Blue Eagles were able to cut the lead to three points thanks to Chris Newsome's hard drives to the basket, which allowed him to earn points from the free throw line.

Two free throws by Newsome allowed Ateneo to cut the lead to two points, 63-65, with 42 seconds remaining, but the Blue Eagles lost Villamor on the baseline and Parks delivered the ball to him in the corner for the dagger three.

"I just trusted my teammates," Parks said after the game. "It was not just about me, it was about the whole team. We can only win games if we do it together."

Ateneo still had the chance to extend the game into overtime after Newsome hit two more free throws, and a mistake by Alolino on a jump ball awarded the Blue Eagles the ball. But Juami Tiongson misfired on a three-pointer, and Parks was able to ice the game from the free-throw line.

The win allowed the Bulldogs to bounce back from a disappointing loss against La Salle last weekend, and kept them in contention for the No. 1 spot at the end of the elimination round.

If the Green Archers defeat the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers this Saturday, NU will take the top spot by virtue of a higher quotient. However, if La Salle loses, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws will take the top spot.

But Altamirano stressed that they were only concerned with getting one of the top two spots.

"Hindi naman kami mapili," he said. "Okay lang 'yun. Ang importante, nandoon kami (sa top two) kasi lahat naman ng papasok d'yan, magagaling. We have to take advantage of this opportunity to make use of the twice-to-beat and get into the finals."

Meanwhile, Ateneo's record now stands at 7-6, half a game behind UST in the league standings. They still have a chance of making the Final Four, depending on the result of the game between La Salle and UST next Saturday.

Mbe finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Villamor finished with nine points, seven of which came in the pivotal fourth period.

Newsome tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds for Ateneo, while Erram finished with 11 points. Ravena shot only 1-of-9 from the field, scored only three points and fouled out after 24 minutes of action.

The Blue Eagles shot 34.3% to the Bulldogs' 37.7%, but NU made 5-of-14 three-point attempts while Ateneo only made two of their 17 tries from beyond the arc.

Parks started off on fire, scoring 13 points in the opening period as NU built a 21-18 lead. He made three of his four attemtps from beyond the arc, even while being tightly defended by Newsome.

Parks rode the bench for much of the second period, but the Bulldogs were able to maintain their lead as the scoring slowed down.

They led by as much as seven points, 30-23, on two free throws by Glenn Khobuntin, but a 6-0 blast by Ateneo, capped off by a Frank Golla jumper, cut the lead to just one point, 29-30.

Parks stretched the lead back to four points after completing a three-point play, and Ateneo could only get a long-range bomb from Juami Tiongson that misfired as the halftime buzzer sounded.

The scores:

NU 70 - Parks 24, Mbe 17, Villamor 9, Alejandro 5, Khobuntin 4, Alolino 4, Porter 3, Javelona 3, Rono 1, Rosario 0, Javillonar 0

ADMU 65 - Newsome 17, Erram 11, Tiongson 8, Elorde 8, Pessumal 7, Buenafe 7, Golla 4, Ravena 3, Tolentino 0, Capacio 0

Quarter-scores: 21-18, 33-29, 49-45, 70-65

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