Diassana powers Bulldogs past Tigers
Mo Diassana dominated the paint as National University turned back University of Santo Tomas, 75-71, Saturday to tighten its grip on second place in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Diassana finished with 16 points and 19 rebounds, including nine offensive boards, as the Bulldogs completed an elimination-round sweep of the Growling Tigers and improved to 7-3, half a game behind idle leader University of the Philippines (7-2).
The NU big man shot 8-of-11 from the field despite battling foul trouble and got plenty of help from PJ Palacielo, who added 14 points and six rebounds, and Kenshin Padrones, who posted 13 points and 12 boards.
“Good win for us definitely because UST is not just any other team, it is a contender,” NU coach Jeff Napa said. “Good thing our effort showed in this game up to the last minute. It’s all about mindset and the effort that we give every game.”
La Salle in OT
Diassana also got the better of his matchup against UST center Collins Akowe, who managed just 11 points on 2-of-7 shooting and five rebounds in 33 minutes.
In the other game, La Salle defeated Ateneo, 76-73, in overtime, notching its sixth win in 10 games.
Ateneo dropped to 5-5.
The Bulldogs needed a strong finishing kick after the Growling Tigers broke a 57-all deadlock with five straight points to open the fourth quarter, capped by a three-pointer from Andrew Chio and a basket from Kristian Porter.
But NU answered with a decisive 10-0 run behind Diassana, Padrones, Tebol Garcia and Paul Francisco to seize a 67-62 advantage.
Diassana later threw down a dunk off a pick-and-roll feed from Reinhard Jumamoy to stretch the Bulldogs’ lead to 73-66 with 42.1 seconds remaining.
UST refused to fold, however, as Landyn Jumawan and Amiel Acido combined for five unanswered points to pull the Growling Tigers within 73-71.
Palacielo split two free throws with 6.5 seconds left but recovered possession during the ensuing rebound scramble, drawing another foul that allowed NU to put the game away.
Garcia chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists despite shooting just 5-of-18 from the field.
3rd straight loss
The Bulldogs also defeated the Growling Tigers, 87-85, in their first-round meeting on Jumamoy’s game-winning three-pointer in overtime.
UST, meanwhile, absorbed its third straight loss to slip to 4-6 and seventh place, a game and a half out of fourth with only four assignments remaining in the elimination round.
Acido paced the Growling Tigers with 13 points and five rebounds, while Mark Llemit contributed 12 points, four assists and three rebounds.
Chio added 11 points, while Porter finished with eight points, six rebounds and six assists in just under 19 minutes.
