Red-hot NU puts La Salle on brink

National University needed a late-game push to pull off a 73-64 victory that put De La Salle University on the brink of elimination and maintain the top spot in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 women's basketball tournament yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

With the Lady Bulldogs ahead by just four, Jainaba Konateh and Ann Pingol connived for seven unanswered points to establish an 11-point lead with 1:47 left in the game and shrug the Lady Archers' strong stand, 71-60, en route to the victory.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines ended a 15-year Final Four drought following a 70-55 win over Far Eastern University.

Konateh, a 19-year-old center from Gambia, played her best game yet, producing 17 points and 17 rebounds in nearly 25 minutes of action.

She stepped up big time after top guns Camille Clarin, Angel Surada, and Tin Cayabyab all had an off night for NU, which is riding an eight-game winning streak to post a 10-1 card.

The Lady Archers, meanwhile, fell to 4-7, and had to win all of their remaining games while hoping 7-4 Ateneo de Manila University would drop all of their matches for a chance to enter the Final Four.

"It's one of our games that we cannot find a groove consistently. Actually, that was the challenge right before the tip-off, for us to find some consistency in our game," NU head coach Aris Dimaunahan said.

"Jainaba I guessed was the only big of us that was not in foul trouble. She played her role of getting rebounds and trying to score whenever she had the opportunity."

Clarin went 1-of-10 from the field and ended with just five points, three rebounds, and three steals while committing three turnovers.

Surada, for her part, battled foul trouble and only managed four points and seven rebounds in 11 minutes of play while Cayabyab missed all his six field goal attempts, finishing with just a point.