Josephs rally Bulldogs to comeback win vs Maroons

National University’s backcourt pair of Joseph Hermosisima and Joseph Terso made the big plays down the stretch to power the Bulldogs to a come-from-behind 70-66 win over University of the Philippines in the 73rd UAAP men’s basketball tournament on Saturday at The Arena in San Juan City.

Trailing at 66-61 with three minutes left in the game, NU used a closing 9-0 spurt to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in years. The Bulldogs ended the first round with a 3-4 record. UP dropped its seventh straight game to remain at the cellar. Several players became emotional and were seen crying after the game. Hermosisima capped his 13-point performance with a three-pointer in the final 48.7 seconds of the match that gave the Bulldogs a 68-66 lead. The Maroons had several chances of either tying the game or going up by one but could not find the same shooting touch that gave them a 22-point advantage early in the third. Terso, who had a five-point swing in the third to trim UP’s lead to single digits (55-46) with 1:44 to go, then sealed NU’s win with two free throws off a foul from Mark Lopez. The Maroons seemed to be doing all the right things in the first half and early in the third. But the Bulldogs would not just go away that easily. UP built that 22-point spread behind an in-your-face defense that limited NU to 10 points in the second quarter and forced the Bulldogs to 13 turnovers that the Maroons translated into 14 markers. UP’s big men, composed of Magi Sison and Woody Co, also made NU’s frontline combo of Jewel Ponferrada and Emmanuel Mbe work for their points. Alvin Padilla scored on a lay up as the Fighting Maroons enjoyed a huge 22-point bubble, 43-21, with barely a minute gone in the third. But when Woody Co fouled out after committing a blocking against Mervin Baloran plus a technical for pointing at a game official with 8:54 left in the said period, the Maroons’ game went south and the Bulldogs capitalize. Putting up the same pesky defense that nearly pulled-off wins against defending champion Ateneo and league-leading Far Eastern U, the Sampaloc-based dribblers went on a 21-8 tear to cut State U’s lead to single digits at 52-43 with two minutes and 19 seconds left in the third. With UP one big man down, after Co fouling out, NU attacked State U’s defense and inch by inch chipped down UP’s lead “I told the boys during halftime that 'if you still want to compete, this is the right time to show it.' Good thing the boys responded kahit hindi na ako nagbigay ng Xs and Os," said NU coach Eric Gonzales. Hermosisima, who shot 5-of-14 from the field, also had four rebounds and four assists while Cameroonian center Mbe scored 12 and grabbed 11 rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench. Terso also produced 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and steals. Lefty guard Martin Reyes finished with 15 points while Padilla tallied 11 markers, two rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks. Highly-touted Mike Silungan failed to score in double figures for the second time making nine points on 4-of-13 shooting. He also had five rebounds and four assists. – JVP, GMANews.TV