There was no such thing as luck as far as National University coach Jeff Napa was concerned after scoring their first back-to-back wins in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.

In fact, Napa and his stalwarts proved that their 67-47 upset victory against semifinalist University of the Philippines was no fluke after following it up with another shocking 67-62 victory over upset-conscious University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

The twin victories breathed life into NU’s Final Four hopes, but it also attracted a lot of bashers particularly in the Bulldogs’ triumph over UP.

Napa said they worked hard and persevered in that game, and credit must be due to the efforts of their players, not because they just got “lucky.”

“Number one, doon sa mga hindi naniniwala na tinalo namin yung UP, ito yung kasunod. Hindi tsamba yung tinalo namin yung UP, okay? Hindi malas yung UP. Naglaro kami nang tama. Trinabaho namin yun,” said Napa.

“Kaya dun sa mga nagke-credit na malas yung UP, ito yung kapalit sa inyo. W di ba? Panalo,” he added.

The Bulldogs now tote a 4-8 win-loss record, just half a game behind fifth-running Adamson Falcons -- and they are not stopping.

Not only they hope to untangle themselves from a tie with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, but they also wanted to dislodge the Falcons and inch closer to No. 4 UST.

“Kasi masyado nyong dina-down yung NU, na dapat hindi naman eh. Naglalaro rin kami,” said the 43-year-tactician stressed. “Kasali rin kami sa UAAP, hindi porket nandoon kami sa baba eh puro kami talunan.”

Napa also emphasized the absence of their Foreign Student-Athlete (FSA) Mo Diassana, who nursed an injury in their first game this season against La Salle.

Diassana’s absence played a big role in NU’s offensive and, especially in its defensive flow, which Napa underscored, noting the level of playing in UAAP is much demanding and has a different approach. 

“May rason kung bakit kami natatalo. Nawalan kami ng import. Sino bang hindi mahihirapan nang walang import dito sa UAAP?” said Napa.

“Okay lang kung andon kami sa NCAA, baka kami pa yung nandun sa taas eh. Pero dito sa UAAP, iba yung level eh. Napakataas. So yung expectation talaga, syempre yung demand at expectations ko sa mga players ko, high standard talaga and that is to compete against doon sa mga nasa taas,” he said.