National University Nazareth School (NUNS) relied on its depth to overcome a slow start, overpowering University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) for a commanding 102-78 win to crack the top four of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 junior high school basketball tournament yesterday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The win marked the Bullpups’ third consecutive victory, allowing them to gain solo fourth place with a 5-4 card while breaking the three-way tie alongside De La Salle Zobel and Ateneo de Manila University.

“We’re not looking at the winning streak,” NUNS head coach Kevin Castro said.

“I told them that we’ll go one game at a time. In fact, I addressed them during halftime, telling them that we have to stick with the game plan. We’ll apply to this game whatever we worked for during training.”

After a back-and-forth opening affair, NUNS took a comfortable 14-point cushion in the second period but saw it trimmed down to eight points at the half, 50-42, after a late UPIS rally powered by Bruce Tubongbanua and Jhustin Hallare.

The Bullpups, however, finally gained control of the game after turning a slim seven-point advantage to a commanding 22-point cushion heading into the payoff period, 78-56, with a 17-2 run to close the third quarter.

NUNS sealed its third straight win and replicated its 94-76 first-round beatdown of UPIS by taking a game-high 26-point lead, 84-58, with less than eight minutes left in the final frame.

David Sabareza powered NUNS with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with seven steals, five rebounds, and four assists, while Chester Tulabut contributed 21 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Yujin Pena scored 17 points to go along with seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal, while Mac Tadeo had a perfect game with 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting with four rebounds, two blocks and an assist.

NUNS will shoot for its fourth straight win against a formidable opponent in an undefeated University of the East side next Sunday at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Tubongbanua’s game-high 31-point effort, coupled with Hallare’s 29-point showing went for naught as UPIS remained winless through ten outings in the eight-team junior high school league.

The star duo lacked help from their teammates as the rest of the Fighting Maroons only contributed 18 points combined.

The Fighting Maroons will have a 18-day break before it returns to competition against La Salle Zobel on Wednesday next week also at UST.