National University-Nazareth School (NUNS) opened its University Athletic Association of the Philippines U16 boys’ basketball tournament title defense in dominant fashion, scoring a wire-to-wire 100-75 win over the University of Santo Tomas (UST) on Saturday at the Far Eastern University-Diliman Gym in Quezon City.

University of the East, meanwhile, also impressed with a 91-66 victory over University of the Philippines Integrated School in the tournament opener.

Fielding a completely new lineup compared to the Bullpups squad that swept last year’s tournament, Leo Pujante had to tweak his system, going from having an imposing big man in Moussa Diakite to having a plethora of shooters.

“We have more shooters now—even I actually had a hard time rotating my wings," said Pujante as the Bullpups knocked down a total of 11 triples in the contest.

Andrie Lopez scored 19 points on two triples to lead the way for the Bullpups, while Martin Macoy nailed five threes for 17 points.

But it was 6-foot-2 winger Jesse Arellano who shone brightest, tallying a triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists to go with seven steals.

"When I faced his team in the PSAA, I spoke to him right away," Pujante recalled about the first time he met Arellano, who was then playing for a club in Antipolo.

"I knew he was going to be special. Even without Moussa, we now have a Fil-Am."

NUNS wasted no time pushing the pedal against UST, racing to a 29-9 lead.

The Bullpups’ cushion grew to as high as 41 points, 73-32, after an Arnold Flores basket midway through the third quarter.

It was the same story for the Junior Warriors, who raced to a 20-8 start and never looked back against a nine-man Fighting Maroons team.

Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by Xerone Dizon with 18 points. Odrie Mallabo added 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Jaden Roxas and Jayson Mercado chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively. Mercado also grabbed eight rebounds.

For UST, Miguel Austria paced the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Nicolai Cabañero, the 12-year-old brother of former Growling Tiger Nic and current Tiger Cub Andwele, scored 14 points with five assists and four steals.

Kean Poquiz was the lone double-digit scorer for the Maroons with 27 points.