UAAP JRS NU-Nazareth topples Sotto, Ateneo for sweep of finals

NU-Nazareth School put on a strong finishing kick to dethrone Ateneo, 64-53, and capture the UAAP juniors basketball crown before thousands of screaming fans at The Arena in San Juan.

Carl Tamayo’s basket underneath put NU ahead 52-51 before baskets by Reyland Torres and Terrence Fortea coupled with offensive struggles by the Blue Eaglets enabled the Bullpups to complete a sweep of the title series.

The victory was NU’s fourth championship in the last eight years, and the first since 2016.

Coach Goldwyn Monteverde savored his first UAAP title while perhaps feeling a sense of vindication after a stint with Adamson in 2017 ended in controversy when victories were forfeited because of ineligible players.

Tamayo finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds and was later adjudged as the Finals Most Valuable Player.

He averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds in the series, but was also credited for limiting Ateneo’s prized 7-foot-2 center Kai Sotto in the fourth quarter.

Sotto, who before tipoff was named season MVP, finished with 26 points and 25 rebounds but he and the rest of the Blue Eaglets sputtered on offense after taking their final lead, 51-50.

Fortea, the only member of NU’s 2016 title squad, scored 15 points despite a 3-of-19 shooting.

The Bullpups won their first title since Jeff Napa steered a team led by Justine Baltazar and John Lloyd Clemente to the 2016 championship.

Fortea had five points during a decisive fourth quarter run that opened up a 59-51 advantage with 2:31 remaining, a deficit the Eaglets couldn’t soar over.

The title was Fortea’s second. Kevin Quiambao added eight points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks, providing a vital defensive cog in keeping Sotto from taking over and denying the Bullpups a return to supremacy.