The Bulldogs pounced on a cold-shooting Fighting Maroons squad to snap a three-game losing streak in UAAP Season 87.
The NU Bulldogs pulled off the upset of the season as they drubbed a cold-shooting UP Fighting Maroons team, 67-47, in their second round encounter in UAAP Season 87 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on Sunday, November 3.
After a commanding 24-8 first quarter, NU ran away with the ball game for their first victory against UP since Season 85. The wire-to-wire victory saw the Bulldogs’ advantage balloon to as large as 27, 62-35, after a Nat Tulabut basket with 6:05 remaining.
Pat Yu led the cavalry for the Bulldogs with 17 points in the convincing victory, going 5/7 from three. This was in stark contrast to UP’s frustrating night out that saw the Maroons shoot a season-low 26 percent. It is also their lowest scoring output for the year.
They also couldn’t get anything going from the charity stripe, going 9/24 from their free throws.
It was a forgettable afternoon for all of UP’s players — particularly the starters who finished with just 18 points in the game.
Sean Torculas was the lone player who shot above 50 percent with a 4/5 shooting clip from the field. He finished with 13 points in the tough loss for the Fighting Maroons, who will face defending champions La Salle in their next game.
Meanwhile, NU fanned its slim Final Four hopes with the momentum-boosting win as the Bulldogs improved to 3-8 and arrested a three-game skid. This is also NU’s first win in the second round.
Jake Figueroa was the other Bulldog in double-digit scoring with 11 points, to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
For their part, UP saw a three-game streak snapped as the Maroons are denied an outright twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four and are now at 9-2.