Bulldogs keep the faith, get rewarded with most convincing win of UAAP 82
MANILA, Philippines — When the National University lost five heartbreakers in a row to begin their UAAP Season 82 men's basketball campaign, the Ildefonso brothers vowed that the Bulldogs would still make the Final Four.
What followed was a statement 61-39 win over the Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Wednesday — the Bulldogs’ most coveted win so far. They seemed to finally be figuring it out. Things were looking up. Suddenly, they seemed poised to make a run.
"You guys know how I am," head coach Jamike Jarin Jarin told reporters after the convincing rout. "We win together, we lose together. Even with all the losses, we are still here."
The Bulldogs’ second win, however, remained elusive as NU dropped its next two games: against the University of the East Red Warriors, 72-78, then versus the De La Salle Green Archers, 85-61.
"Again, all the glory belongs to God Almighty," Jarin added in the team's post-game presser Wednesday.
After the decisive win over FEU, Jarin followed through with what has become something of a tradition for NU: bringing the entire team into the press room.
"Sila ang naglaro, hindi ako," he said in an earlier interview, highlighting their team spirit. "Sila ang bida."
Such was the story of the day once again for the fighting Bulldogs after JV Gallego kicked the ball out to John Lloyd Clemente for a three that handed the bulldogs the lead with 23 ticks left in the fourth quarter.
Leading by as much as 15 points approaching halftime, the Sampaloc-based squad showed just enough heart to steal the game back from the young and surging Tamaraws, who clawed their way back to force overtime.
From there, Dave Ildefonso carried the Bulldogs to only their second victory.
Approaching the game's dying minutes in the payoff period, it was an amalgamation of heart, composure, crisp passing and making the right plays that allowed NU to pull away from the hapless Tamaraws.
"The formula was just basic believing," Jarin said. "Going back to basics, you just follow instructions."
He also thanked the team for believing in him as their coach.
"They’re rooting for me and I really appreciate that," said Jarin
For his part, Ildefonso, who finished with a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds, pointed to the team's lack of composure in tight contests after they squandered another sizable lead.
"[L]esson learned na lang siguro na wag mag-relax," he said of the win.
"[H]angga’t may laro pa kami, lalaban lang talaga kami," Dave’s older brother Shaun Ildefonso said with the season slipping through their fingers. "As long as there are games left, laban lang talaga. We have nothing to lose naman, nowhere to go but up."
"That’s how we do it. We look after each other," Jarin ended.
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