Bulldogs buck absence of big man Mo Diassana in come-from-behind win over Tamaraws

MANILA, Philippines — Despite having a 6-foot-10 hole in the middle, the National University Bulldogs vowed to come out swinging this UAAP Season 87.

NU will be playing the rest of the season without big man Mo Diassana, who exited the season opener against the La Salle Green Archers with an apparent left knee injury.

Without the center though, the Bulldogs rebounded from their first loss and rallied against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 62-60, on Saturday evening.

Head coach Jeff Napa said that despite being forced to play all-Filipino this season, the team will go “15-man strong.”

“Number one, what I am emphasizing is, we have to rely on ourselves. That is our battle cry this season, so we can at least steal some wins,” Napa told reporters in Filipino after the game.

“So, that is our target, get some wins and we have to be consistent in our 15-man strong so anybody who will enter can contribute, especially on our defense,” he added.

Against FEU, which had foreign student-athlete Mo Konateh in the middle, the Bulldogs relied on a balanced scoring output as no player finished in double digits.

PJ Palacielo paced the Sampaloc-based squad with nine points and six rebounds, while Jake Figueroa and big man Kenji Padrones had eight markers apiece.

Figueroa had seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block, while Padrones had a team-high 10 boards.

The team rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to win the game that went to the final second.

Napa stressed that the team’s leaders have to step up in Diassana’s absence.

“They have to realize that they have to rely on each other now that Mo is gone. So that is it, they have to understand that, like Jake [Figueroa.] He has to step up to become a leader and his teammates should realize that,” Napa said.

“Definitely, Mo is out for the season already. We are not thinking that he will return anymore. But for us, we are 15-man strong, we will enjoy it,” he added.

And while missing a foreign reinforcement is a big blow, the team will continue to be positive moving forward.

“Of course, it is a wasted opportunity to prove his worth in the UAAP, but still, we are positive despite having no FSA. As I told the team, I am already used to playing All-Filipino, I just need to translate what I learned,” he said.

“There are still five players playing on the court, there’s nothing wrong to compete.”

NU will try to win back-to-back games this season as they face the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons next on Wednesday at the Big Dome.