JERICK Geron soars his way to a 16-point effort to lead the NUNS Bullpups to a 110-45 crushing of the UPIS Fighting Maroons in the UAAP Season 89 16U basketball tournament on Wednesday.
Photograph courtesy of UAAP
National University Nazareth School (NUNS) retained its spot at the top of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 89 16U basketball tournament after steamrolling past University of the Philippines Integrated School, 100-45, on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The defending champion Bullpups remained unbeaten at 4-0, one game ahead of the Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU-D) Baby Tamaraws, who likewise kept their winning streak alive at 3-0. They also extended their winning streak to 20 games dating back to Season 88.
Jerick Geron led all scorers with 16 points in his second outing of the season, while Elijah Javier posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
“I’m really thankful to Coach Leo for giving me the opportunity to showcase my game. I still have a lot of shortcomings, but I’m also grateful that I played well today,” said Geron, who saw increased playing time after playing just three minutes in his only other outing against the University of Santo Tomas.
Despite getting into early foul trouble that kept him on the bench for most of the first half, Jesse Arellano also recorded a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Bullpups.
Holding an already insurmountable 88-42 lead entering the fourth quarter, the Bullpups held the Fighting Maroons to just three points the rest of the way.
NUNS big men Chandler Cano and Marrion Dizon returned to action after missing the previous game due to chickenpox. This time, Railey Pangan sat out because of the same illness.
Later, the Baby Tamaraws, the only other undefeated team in the tournament, held their ground with an 86-76 victory over De La Salle-Zobel.
Nicus Calma put on a stellar shooting display, scoring 20 points while shooting 46.7 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and a perfect 100 percent from the free-throw line.
The 6-foot-1 forward also came close to a double-double with nine rebounds after averaging just three points per game prior to Wednesday’s contest.
Bernard Alsola and Griffin Barlan chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively, for FEU-D.
