The Falcons were seconds away from flight—until Bulldogs’ Mark Parks gnawed their wings in time.
Keeping his cool in another nail-biter, Parks went the extra mile and drilled the killer and-one layup to punch National University’s (NU) Final Four spot over Adamson University (AdU) via 66-65 squeaker in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament last Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The young guard displayed his presence in the payoff period on both ends of the court as he fired out 10 points with a 4 of 6 clip, three rebounds, two steals, and one assist in just 13 minutes to shift the Bulldogs’ gears toward the first UAAP semifinals spot.
Determined to ascend towards the UAAP summit, Parks shared that the win against the blue-clad ballers was just the first step towards glory as they emphasized training towards being a championship-caliber squad.
“Our goal is to make it to the Finals, and that’s what we’re trying to reach for. Coach Jeff explained to us that it’s a championship team that we need to be, so we still have a lot of work to do,” said the 24-year-old guard.
Parks broke the deadlock as he took advantage of a Matty Erolon mischief, capping off his clutch masterclass with a contested and one lay up en route to a 66-65 lead with just 10.9 seconds remaining.
With AdU’s Monty Montebon missing a potential game-winning trey, Bulldogs guard Steve Nash Enriquez missed both his freebies at the charity stripe but the Falcons were not able to pull off a final shot, sealing their disheartening fate.
Bulldogs forward Jake Figueroa bucked his early shooting slump as he blasted multiple layups going into the final frame to whittle the Bulldogs’ deficit to 50-53 as both squads traded blows to gain the upper hand.
Adamson relied on the gutsy Montebon and former Letran Squires captain Emman Anabo’s three-point dominance as they rained down top-of-the-key three-pointers to overwhelm NU with a 48-40 cushion in the third quarter.
Both teams evened each other out in the second canto but the Bulldogs edged out their opposition with the waxed-hot Paul Francisco wreaking havoc via personal 9-0 barrage converted from multiple corner treys, 31-30.
It was NU who surged out with a strong start, battering the Falcons in the paint to orchestrate a 10-2 blast to establish an 18-14 lead in the opening period.
Bolstering the Bulldogs’ fiery offense, Figueroa paced the team with 13 markers, six assists, and four boards while Francisco registered nine points, two assists, and one steal.
Montebon delivered a Herculean performance of a game-high 20 points, five rebounds, and two assists for Adamson but was not enough to seal the deal.
With the hard-fought victory, the top-ranked NU solidified their spot at the top of the UAAP standings with a 9-2 record, staying ahead of defending champion University of the Philippines (UP), sitting at a 8-3 slate.
Meanwhile, the Soaring Falcons relegated to a 5-6 standing, falling to sixth place in the eight-team tournament after suffering its second consecutive loss.
NU will attempt to sustain its winning ways as they clash against fellow Final Four contender Far Eastern University on Wednesday, November 12.
Determined to halt its two-game skid, AdU vies to unleash their A-game in a crucial battle against the UP Fighting Maroons on Sunday, November 16.
Keeping his cool in another nail-biter, Parks went the extra mile and drilled the killer and-one layup to punch National University’s (NU) Final Four spot over Adamson University (AdU) via 66-65 squeaker in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament last Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The young guard displayed his presence in the payoff period on both ends of the court as he fired out 10 points with a 4 of 6 clip, three rebounds, two steals, and one assist in just 13 minutes to shift the Bulldogs’ gears toward the first UAAP semifinals spot.
Determined to ascend towards the UAAP summit, Parks shared that the win against the blue-clad ballers was just the first step towards glory as they emphasized training towards being a championship-caliber squad.
“Our goal is to make it to the Finals, and that’s what we’re trying to reach for. Coach Jeff explained to us that it’s a championship team that we need to be, so we still have a lot of work to do,” said the 24-year-old guard.
Parks broke the deadlock as he took advantage of a Matty Erolon mischief, capping off his clutch masterclass with a contested and one lay up en route to a 66-65 lead with just 10.9 seconds remaining.
With AdU’s Monty Montebon missing a potential game-winning trey, Bulldogs guard Steve Nash Enriquez missed both his freebies at the charity stripe but the Falcons were not able to pull off a final shot, sealing their disheartening fate.
Bulldogs forward Jake Figueroa bucked his early shooting slump as he blasted multiple layups going into the final frame to whittle the Bulldogs’ deficit to 50-53 as both squads traded blows to gain the upper hand.
Adamson relied on the gutsy Montebon and former Letran Squires captain Emman Anabo’s three-point dominance as they rained down top-of-the-key three-pointers to overwhelm NU with a 48-40 cushion in the third quarter.
Both teams evened each other out in the second canto but the Bulldogs edged out their opposition with the waxed-hot Paul Francisco wreaking havoc via personal 9-0 barrage converted from multiple corner treys, 31-30.
It was NU who surged out with a strong start, battering the Falcons in the paint to orchestrate a 10-2 blast to establish an 18-14 lead in the opening period.
Bolstering the Bulldogs’ fiery offense, Figueroa paced the team with 13 markers, six assists, and four boards while Francisco registered nine points, two assists, and one steal.
Montebon delivered a Herculean performance of a game-high 20 points, five rebounds, and two assists for Adamson but was not enough to seal the deal.
With the hard-fought victory, the top-ranked NU solidified their spot at the top of the UAAP standings with a 9-2 record, staying ahead of defending champion University of the Philippines (UP), sitting at a 8-3 slate.
Meanwhile, the Soaring Falcons relegated to a 5-6 standing, falling to sixth place in the eight-team tournament after suffering its second consecutive loss.
NU will attempt to sustain its winning ways as they clash against fellow Final Four contender Far Eastern University on Wednesday, November 12.
Determined to halt its two-game skid, AdU vies to unleash their A-game in a crucial battle against the UP Fighting Maroons on Sunday, November 16.
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Written by Gabrielle Magnabihon, Insight PH
Gabrielle Magnabihon, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
