Bulldogs snare win in OT, finish third

MANILA, Philippines - National University capitalized on the second chance they got against Far Eastern U, hacking out a thrilling 84-81 overtime victory in their replayed game to clinch their first semis berth in 11 years yesterday in the UAAP Season 75 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Bobby Ray Parks Jr. hit a huge triple and two free throws in an 11-2 assault that completed NU’s fightback from six-points down as the Bulldogs not only settled the score in their controversial second-round showdown with the Tams but also copped a coveted Final Four berth.

“Our battlecry going into the game was let’s not waste the opportunity. God has given us a second chance. We didn’t actually expected that game to be replayed, to be honest, but since they gave it to us, I told the boys, let’s take advantage of it,” said coach Eric Altamirano.

The game was the replay of their controversial Sept. 2 matchup, which FEU initially won, 77-75 on a disputed last-second shot by RR Garcia. NU placed that game under protest, which was junked by commissioner Ato Badolato but was eventually overturned by the UAAP board of trustees which ordered another game.

NU finished the elims at 9-5 in a triple tie for third with the Tams and La Salle. But with a superior quotient, the Bulldogs took the No. 3 slot and advance, leaving FEU and DLSU to fight for the last semis berth on Wednesday.

NU faces No. 2 Santo Tomas in their first Final Four appearance since 2001 although the Tigers enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage.

Parks finished with 27 points for NU, his biggest bucket coming from beyond the arc that capped a 9-0 blitz for an 82-79 cushion going to the last 31.4 seconds of extension. Garcia’s charities off Joeff Javillonar cut the NU lead to one, before Parks restored a three-point margin with a pair of pressure-packed charities off Gryann Mendoza’s foul, 16.7 seconds to go.

Russel Escoto missed a three-pointer in the last offensive as NU players and supporters whooped it up at center court and on the sideline, some in tears.

“Because of the (team) standing, this win is very significant for the NU community as we made it again to the Final Four. This is where we want to be from the very start,” said Altamirano, who also drew 25 points and 13 rebounds from Emmanuel Mbe and seven markers apiece from Kyle Neypes and Joshua Alolino.

“We’ve had a lot of close games this season, wherein we crumbled in the end. I’m always telling the players that these happened for a reason, which is to make us tougher, teach us how to come back. And today, we showed a lot of heart and perseverance in coming back,” he added.

FEU coach Bert Flores blamed it on their failure to execute in the crucial stretches.

“The effort was there but we had lapses in the end, especially against their zone defense,” he said, preferring to move on to the next mission, the playoff with DLSU.

The Tams appeared on their way to the victory with Terrence Romeo and Mike Tolomia doing the damage to start the overtime with a 6-0 blast for a 79-73 lead, 2:50 left. 

But from there, it was all NU.

Romeo fired 25 points spiked by four triples while Garcia added 13 markers for FEU but the two couldn’t save the Tams in their final offensive.