Quezon city: National University Nazareth School (NUNS) and University of Santo Tomas (UST) continued their unbeaten run in the UAAP Season 88 high school basketball tournament, securing victories over their respective opponents at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
According to Philippines News Agency, center Moussa Diakite and guard Mark Arzola each scored 17 points to lead the NUNS Bullpups to a 78-66 victory over the Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU-D) Baby Tamaraws. Diakite, a 6-foot-10 recruit from Mali, also contributed 14 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, while Arzola added 10 rebounds and three steals. The Bullpups dominated the first half, finishing with a 42-31 lead.
FEU-D attempted a comeback with efforts from Prince Cari±o, Prince Pineda, and Dwyne Enriquez, narrowing the gap to 44-45 with 5:43 left in the third quarter. However, NUNS, with contributions from Clark Khobuntin, David Sabareza, Jehove Gatumbato, Ean Tria, Diakite, and Arzola, extended their lead to 74-63, securing the win. Cari±o led FEU-D with 15 points, while Pineda and Enriquez added 14 points each.
NUNS coach Leo Pujante explained the strategy behind the win, saying, "We also just changed our defense because they had already caught up with the kind of defense we were using. At the start of the third quarter, the defense we used was the same as the first half. Maybe they had done something at half time, so we just changed our defense to recover."
In another matchup, CJ Tabbuga's performance of 25 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks propelled UST to a 91-70 victory over De La Salle-Zobel (DLSZ). Miguel Jubilado also contributed significantly with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Chan Guinto and Dave Regala added 16 and 12 points, respectively. UST briefly trailed 53-56 midway through the third quarter but regained control with a decisive 16-7 run led by Guinto.
Lorenzo Purugganan led the Junior Archers with 25 points and four assists, while Jullian Pangan contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds. With these victories, NUNS and UST are tied for the lead with Adamson University at 2-0. Meanwhile, University of the East and FEU-D share second place with a 1-1 record, while DLSZ, Ateneo de Manila University, and University of the Philippines-Integrated School remain winless in two games.
