National University Nazareth School (NUNS) barely avoided the upset ax of University of the East (UE), 78-77, to move a win away from sweeping the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 high school boys’ basketball tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas banked on late-game heroics by Wacky Ludovice and Racine Kane to edge winless Ateneo de Manila University, 69-59, and extend its winning streak to five games for a 5-1 record at second spot.

Chris Urbina went on a personal tear, scoring 10 straight points for the Blue Eagles to pull the team within one with 2:33 left in the game, 59-60.

But the Tiger Cubs closed out the match with nine unanswered points, with four coming from Ludovice on two acrobatic layups, two from Kane, and three from free throws by Carl Manding and Charles Bucsit.

The Bullpups led 63-52 entering the fourth quarter but the Junior Warriors would not go away quickly, chipping away at the deficit.

With NUNS still ahead, 78-70, with 1:34 left in the game after two free throws from Collins Akowe, UE unleashed a final run that was kickstarted by Xedric Diaz’s three-pointer followed by a split at the line by Edry Alejandro with 59.3 seconds remaining to slash the hole to 74-78.

Kristoper Lagat then made his mark with 32.8 ticks to go, draining a step-back triple to make it a one-point deficit for the Junior Warriors, 77-78.

In the ensuing play, Akowe missed his shot, paving the way for a reversal for UE, but it could not capitalize. Diaz first missed a deep three-pointer but Alejandro ended up with the offensive rebound, launching a triple himself but also missed to give NUNS the league-leading 6-0 record.

NUNS coach Kevin de Castro called the victory a needed wake-up call, especially with the defending champion Adamson University serving as their next opponent.

“This is what I’ve been saying that we can’t afford to relax because we haven’t proven anything yet. At least now, we were able to test ourselves and realized that we’re not yet a dominant team,” De Castro said.

Akowe posted a monster double-double anew for the Bullpups with 27 points and 24 rebounds to go with two blocks but he had five turnovers.

Miguel Palanca added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Mac Alfanta tallied 11 points in the triumph.

Lagat paced UE with 17 points and six rebounds, while Drei Lorenzo chimed in 15 points — all from beyond the arc.

Diaz also made 14 points and five assists while Alejandro got 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Junior Warriors received their third-straight loss for a 2-4 record at solo sixth.