At A Glance
- They simply took the lessons seriously and pulled off a 56-54 win over the Adamson Soaring Falcons to get back in sync in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament.
Jake Figueroa embraces trust from his NU coaches and teammates. (UAAP Media)
National University acknowledged the errors the Bulldogs had when they collapsed against the UP Fighting Maroons last Oct. 4.
They simply took the lessons seriously and pulled off a 56-54 win over the Adamson Soaring Falcons to get back in sync in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament.
“Lesson learned samin ‘yong pagkatalo namin sa UP na lamang kami tapos pagdating ng fourth quarter, [nag-collapse] kami, ‘yon ‘yong pinagusapan namin nung mga nakaraan,” said Gelo Santiago, who delivered five of his nine points in the waning minutes to keep NU afloat in the endgame.
“Hindi na pwede maulit ‘yon, kaya talagang pagdating ng crucial moment, hindi na kami pwedeng mag-rattle,” added Santiago,
Aside from Santiago, who is the younger brother of volleyball stars Jaja and Dindin, rising to the occasion was Bulldogs’ go-to guy Jake Figueroa who scored the last six points for the Jeff Napa-mentored crew.
Figueroa, who has always been NU's hero in recent games, was only paying off the trust given to him by his coaches.
“Siyempre, sobrang thankful ako sa mga teammate and coaches ko na pag-crunch time sakin nila binibigay nila ‘yong bola,” said Figueroa, who dazzled again for NU as he tallied 17 points, two rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
“‘Yon din ang need ko i-improve as a player and as a character. Kahit papaano naman, nasu-shoot ko, nasusuklian ko ‘yong mga ginawa samin ni coach Jeff,” he added.
The Bulldogs seek their fifth win against the De La Salle Green Archers this Sunday, Oct. 12, at the Quadricentennial Pavilion.