UAAP: NU banks on fourth-quarter mastery to dispatch FEU

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The National University (NU) Bulldogs leaned on a flawless fourth-quarter outing to repel the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 84–68, in the ongoing UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Sept. 27, 2025, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

With the massive win, the Bulldogs joined the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) as the first three schools to achieve an unblemished record of two wins without a loss.

NU was bound for another convincing win after stretching its lead to 14 points at the half, 44–30, but FEU had other plans and provided the Bulldogs a huge scare when they trimmed their deficit to just three points in the third frame, 55–52.

After a salty shooting display in the first two quarters, the Tamaraws finally regained their stroke from deep, led by Kirby Mongcopa and Neil Owens, who drained huge three-point bombs that sparked FEU’s rally.

Backstopping Mongcopa and Owens during that furious third-quarter run was Mo Konateh, who scored with a series of putbacks off several offensive rebounds.

Just when the Tamaraws thought they could replicate their consistent shooting display in their first game against Ateneo, the complete opposite happened in the remaining 10 minutes of the ball game, when NU doubled their defensive effort at the rainbow country to limit FEU’s fourth-quarter production to just six points in the first five minutes of the final canto.

As a result, the Bulldogs ballooned their advantage back to double digits, 69–58, courtesy of a momentum-boosting 14–6 run that prevented FEU’s comeback aspirations.

Spearheading NU during that fourth-quarter brilliance was Jolo Manansala, supported by strong finishes in the paint by Paul Francisco and PJ Palacielo.

Playing the catalyst role for the Bulldogs was their foreign student-athlete (FSA), Omar John, who shot an efficient 7-of-12 from the field en route to 16 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and a block.

Manansala, who was hailed as the Best Player of the Game, chipped in 13 markers and nine rebounds, while Jake Figueroa finished with an all-around effort of 13 points, seven rebounds, and five dimes.

On the other hand, Janrey Pasaol continued his consistent scoring display for the Tamaraws with 16 big points, but his individual performance wasn’t enough to deliver the first win for FEU.

NU will seek its third consecutive UAAP win on Oct. 1, 2025, against UST, while the Tamaraws aim to arrest their skid on the same day against DLSU.