Alolino scores 20 as Bulldogs devour Maroons, 70-59

MANILA, Philippines – Gelo Alolino fired a career-high 20 points as the National University Bulldogs nipped University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 70-59, to storm to their second straight win in the UAAP Season 77 men's basketball tourney at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.

One of the senior players of the team, the 20-year-old Alolino flashed his touch from the outside, knocking down four of his seven attempts from beyond the arc, while dishing out two assists and the same number of steals to provide a solid foundation for the victory.

"Being one of the seniors, gusto kong i-lead ang team (I want to provide leadership)," said Alolino, who eclipsed his previous high of 17.

The fourth-year banking and finance student scored 12 in the first period to keep a flat-starting NU afloat against the more aggressive Maroons. He then teamed up with fellow veteran Troy Rosario (17 points and nine rebounds) and Alfred Aroga (16 makers and 11 boards) fuelling the Bulldogs' break away in the second half en route to following up their 59-40 win over Santo Tomas last Sunday..

"Gelo is stepping up and he's doing his job. Like what he said it's not about his points but it's about him leading the team. If he scores this much, it's really good for us. He's scoring but he's not forcing the issue, which is really good for a point guard," said coach Eric Altamirano.

NU won despite giving away the leather 21 times, resulting in 15 points off turnovers for the Maroons - a fact that was not lost on Altamirano.

"We're happy with the win but I'm not really happy with how we played. We were very erratic, we were not disciplined, we committed a lot of turnovers," he said. "When we got the lead, somehow, we relaxed and forced things, which was unlike of us."

It was a dogfight in the first two periods as UP stayed within four points of NU. Coming out of the halftime huddle, however, the Bulldogs turned up the defensive screws and detonated a 15-6 bomb capped by Alolino's trey to seize a 52-39 cushion.

"UP started really strong; they were aggressive on the offensive end and we had a hard time staying with them. But I reminded the boys to do what we do and if we focused on defense, things will go our way," said Altamirano, whose wards brace for back-to-back showdown with defending champion La Salle and Ateneo next week.

Dave Moralde, a transferee from San Beda, banged in 15 for UP, which absorbed its 23rd straight setback dating back to Season 75.

The Maroons fell to 0-2.