Bulldogs complete upset Saturday, trip Falcons

National University, another school left out of the Final Four party, treated its match against Adamson like it was a street game where pride and a peso-worth of ice water are the only things at stake.

"Binalik ko lang yung mga time na mga bata kami," said NU coach Eric Gonzales. "Diba nung mga bata tayo wala namang standing pero ayaw natin magpatalo at nageenjoy lang tayo? Ice tubig nga lang at pitik-bulag yun e." And for Bulldogs big man Jewel Ponferrada, it was his time to shine with just two games left on his UAAP career. The 6-foot-5 Ponferrada came through with a big-time triple in the dying seconds as NU completed an "Upset Saturday" with a stunning 62-59 victory of Adamson in the 73rd UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum. With the game tied at 59-all, Mervin Baloran drove to the basket but with the Falcons defense ganging up on him the 6-foot-3 forward quickly threw a kickout pass to an open Ponferrada from the right wing. And with the clock winding down, Ponferrada simply threw the shot from three-point range and went in with 2.9 seconds left in the game clock and had the NU crowd chanting: "Who let the Dogs out?" Adamson had a final chance to send the game into overtime but Alex Nuyles' running shot from downtown sailed way past the rim, enabling the Bulldogs to escape with the win. It was the Sampaloc-based squad's sixth triumph against seven defeats to remain in fifth spot in the standings. The last time NU won at least six games was in 2007 behind former Bulldogs Edwin Asoro and Jonathan Fernandez. NU bounced back from a 77-62 loss to Far Eastern University on Thursday, a defeat that eliminated the Bulldogs from Final Four contention for the ninth consecutive season. "That was a very devastating loss," said Gonzales. "Everyone knew we wanted to get into that Final Four but it's just that we are not matured enough to handle situations. It's a humbling experience for us, especially me." NU actually fell behind 57-49 with 7:13 left in the game but baskets by Emmanuel Mbe tied the contest before Kokoy Hermosisima scored for a 59-57 lead with 1:13 left. But Jan Colina knotted the game once more with 22.4 seconds left off an alley-hoop pass from Eric Camson setting up NU's thrilling finish. The loss dropped the Falcons down to 8-5, tying La Salle for third. That would mean that both teams will clash it out for the No. 3 spot in the Final Four on Thursday (September 9). Nuyles was the only double-digit scorer for Adamson with 10 points. – JVP, GMANews.TV