NU players themselves crafted game plan vs UST, coach bares

MANILA, Philippines -- The tough loss against the UP Fighting Maroons seemingly lit a fire under the NU Bulldogs as they vented their ire on the UST Growling Tigers Wednesday evening.

The Bulldogs routed the Tigers, 87-69, to send them crashing to their 17th straight UAAP loss.

After the game, NU head coach Jeff Napa bared that it was the players themselves who made the game plan against UST, as he supposedly left the team practice on Tuesday.

“They were the ones who played. I did not want for them to repeat what happened against UP, which was really bad. I almost destroyed the seat at Araneta [Coliseum],” Napa told reporters in Filipino.

NU suffered its first loss in the UAAP Season 86 at the hands of the UP Fighting Maroons, 78-60.

“But credit to them. They were the ones who created the game plan [against UST] and executed. And, it turns out, they can do it,” he added.

“Sayang, my tumbler was just destroyed.”

The destroyed tumbler was just a strong message for the team that they have to play their best if they want to be the best, Napa reiterated.

“We can only win as a group. It is a total team effort and that is what should be apparent,” he said.

For his part, Jolo Manansala said that the team seemed relaxed after winning their opening game against Ateneo.

“So, going to the UP game, it was a very bad game to the point that we lost. And then, coming to this game, we did not look at who we were playing against. We just played as a team and not be selfish,” Manansala, who finished the game with 13 points and four rebounds, told reporters.

Napa also underscored the need of his players to be matured, but acknowledged their experience in collegiate basketball.

NU is currently 3-1 in the UAAP Season 86, good for solo second.