The duo of Mark Nonoy and Justine Baltazar provided the much-needed spark down the stretch as De La Salle got away with a 59-55 win over National University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Tuesday, March 29.
Nonoy, who missed the opening game due to a hamstring injury, came fiery off the bench with 13 points including three triples to go with four assists and three steals while Baltazar scored 13 points with seven rebounds and three assists.
Cyrus Austria, who was also De La Salle's key cog in the third period, added 10 points on top of two three-pointers.
Nonoy and Baltazar joined forces to unload a 14-4 run in the fourth quarter capped by the former's corner triple en route to a 56-49 lead with 3:27 to play.
Enzo Joson and Michael Malonzo exhausted their efforts but lost steam as NU missed four straight three-pointers that could have turned the tables for the Bulldogs.
Baltazar sealed the deal after completing an and-one play off a Deschon Winston dish with 21 ticks left.
“Things were not going right for us,” said De La Salle coach Derrick Pumaren. “We lost our concentration. We made a lot of mistakes. But I think we really worked hard for this win.”
Note that only Nonoy and Baltazar were the only Archers who scored in the fourth quarter.
Malonzo paced NU with 10 points and four rebounds, while Joson, Jake Figueroa, and John Lloyd Clemente chipped in nine points each.
The Green Archers will shoot for their third straight victory when they face the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, who has a 1-1 record, on Tuesday, March 29 at 1 p.m. while the Bulldogs will face University of the Philippines at 4 p.m.
The Scores:
LA SALLE 59 -- Nonoy 13, Baltazar 13, Austria 10, Lojera 7, Manuel 6, Nelle 5, M. Phillips 3, Winston 2, Nwankwo 0, B. Phillips 0, Cuajao 0, Cortez 0, Macalalag 0.
NU 55 -- Malonzo 10, Joson 9, Figueroa 9, Clemente 9, Mahinay 6, Enriquez 4, Tibayan 4, Gaye 2, Felicilda 2, Galinato 0, Ildefonso 0, Torres 0, Yu 0, Manansala 0, Minerva 0.
Quarters: 19-16, 29-30, 42-43, 59-55.