NU zeroes in on title

NU-Nazareth School banked heavily on a third quarter surge and beat defending champion Ateneo, 70-58, to move a win shy of capturing the UAAP juniors basketball crown at The Arena in San Juan.

Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao and Terrence Fortea powered the Bullpups rally from a 30-25 halftime deficit, outscoring the Blue Eaglets 28-15 in the third before preserving the lead in the final period to draw first blood in the best-of-three finals.

Tamayo scored 15 points, Quiambao had 14 points and 13 rebounds while Fortea bucked a 3-of-10 shooting with 11 points for NU cagers of coach Goldwyn Monteverde.

The Bullpups go for the sweep on Friday at the same venue as they take their first crack at winning the title for the first time since beating the La Salle-Zobel Junior Archers in 2016.

Kai Sotto posted 16 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and five blocks but it was enough for Ateneo which faces a daunting task of extending the series in Game 2.

Ateneo has lost all three games against NU this season.

Tamayo and Quiambao sparked the Bullpups hot start in the third before Fortea knocked down timely shots the rest of the way.