National University Nazareth School (NUNS) extended its perfect start while defending champion University of the East (UE) fended off University of Santo Tomas in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 88 junior high School basketball tournament on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

The Bullpups dismantled University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS), 81-46, to stretch their winning streak to four games, boasting an average margin of 22.75 points.

Earlier, the Juniors Warriors further reinforced their mastery over the Tiger Cubs with an 87-78 victory in a rematch of last season’s Finals.

The Bullpups, who led by 19 points at halftime, never let up until finally securing a 35-point victory.

The Bullpups were so dominant that they were able to limit the Fighting Maroons to just four points in the third quarter and led by as many as 77-36 in the final quarter, thanks to Jerick Geron’s jump shot with 3:39 remaining.

For head coach Leo Pujante, it was important that the Bullpups learned from the first game of the day and finished strong against the Fighting Maroons.

“We took UPIS for granted in the first half,” Pujante said.

“I told them that in the first game, UE was leading UST. But when UST stepped on the gas, it was already too late. They were able to grab the lead, but they were already tired so UE still won.”

“For me, UST is stronger than UE. That’s what I’ve been telling the team. The good thing is that everybody is contributing.”

The lopsided nature of the NU-UPIS game allowed Pujante to field 16 players.

Malian student-athlete Moussa Diakite, despite only playing 10 minutes and 43 seconds, led NUNS with 14 points, nine rebounds, and two steals, while Ean Tria added 12 points.

NUNS dominated the paint with 58 points, and its bench contributed another 58 points, compared to UPIS’ 16 and 13 points, respectively.