NU got gritty after stealing the ball marked by Janjan Felicilda to get a one-point deficit, 59-60 with 7:50 minutes left in the last frame. 

Blue Eagles had a bolt of caffeine to extend the lead and the gap was stretched smoothly as Jolo Mendoza shot a three followed by Angelo Kouame who scored a total of 12 points.

The last two minutes were a nail-biting game for the Bulldogs and Blue Eagles with 69-64 on the scoreboard but NU found no hope as Gian Mamuyac pinned a three to extend their lead to 72-64 with 1:22 minutes left with Raffy Verano giving the last points, 76-64.

“NU is a good basketball team. They play well, they had good wins and they’ve shown everybody in the league how good they were. I don’t think we respected them enough and that’s a mistake on our part,” said coach Tab Baldwin.

Reynald Torres did not dismay the Bulldogs with his 14 points and two rebounds followed by John Lloyd Clemente’s 12 points.

On the other hand, Dave Ildefonso scored 14 points for the Blue Eagles while his brother Shaun Ildefonso settled with five points, three rebounds, and two assists for the Bulldogs.

The Scores: 

ATENEO 74 – Ildefonso 14, Kouame 12, Belangel 11, Tio 8, Mendoza 7, Verano 6, Mamuyac 6, Chiu 5, Koon 4, Andrade 1, Lazaro 0, Padrigao 0. 

NU 64 – Torres 14, Clemente 12, Felicilda 10, Malonzo 6, Ildefonso 5, Yu 5, Manansala 4, Figueroa 2, Joson 2, Enriquez 2, Galinato 2, Minerva 0, Tibayan 0, Gaye 0, Mahinay 0. 

Quarters: 20-14, 41-33, 58-50, 74-64.