MANILA – Defending champion National University Nazareth School (NUNS) moved closer to sweeping the elimination round after beating Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU-D), 75-67, in the UAAP Season 89 U16 basketball tournament at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Sunday.
Ron Mayor led the Bullpups with 15 points, while Aaron Dalanan added 14 points and 13 rebounds as NUNS remained unbeaten in 12 games, extending their winning streak to 28 games dating back to last season.
“Di po puwede talaga mag-relax kasi hindi pa naman champion eh. Kung manalo o matalo kami, wala naman kuwenta ‘yun eh. Kumbaga mag-celebrate lang kami kapag tapos na ‘yung liga, matalo, matalo, stay composed lang kami (We really can’t relax because we aren’t champions yet. Win or lose, it doesn’t really matter, we’ll only celebrate once the league is over. Win or lose, we just need to stay composed),” Mayor said.
Andrie Lopez and Martin Macoy contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Jesse Arellano posted eight points, 19 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks.
The Bullpups led by as much as 54-40 in the third quarter.
NUNS will next face also-ran Ateneo Blue Eagles in its penultimate elimination game on Nov. 14 at the same venue.
Hisham Mampao paced FEU-D with 16 points and seven rebounds as the Baby Tamaraws remained in second place at 9-3.
Nicus Calma and Bernard Alsola scored 12 points each, while Marc Isip added 10 for FEU-D, which will tackle Adamson on Nov. 15.
Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas beat De La Salle Zobel, 98-91, to rise to 6-7 but remained in fifth place.
Third-running DLSZ, assured of a Final Four berth along with FEU-D. dropped to 9-3. (Jean Malanum/PNA)
