It was the Bulldogs’ second win in three games, their best start in 13 years, even as coach Manny Dandan vowed to steer the team to a respectable campaign this season.
Ateneo De Manila rode on a big third quarter run to beat Far Eastern University, 67-64, and forge a three-way tie at the helm with the Bulldogs and the idle Far Eastern Tamaraws.
Jomalesa, who went two-for-two into the last 1.6 seconds, calmly sank his first foul shot but muffed the second as time expired, sending the Bulldogs and an ecstatic NU crowd into frenzy.
"We’re not yet the team I expected before the season because of our inconsistencies. We’ve got a lot of things to improve but I’m sure we’ll arrive at that," said Dandan.
Sophomore Froilan Baguion went seven-of-eight from the penalty line to finish with 12 points but it was the Bulldogs’ gutsy stand in the final quarter that carried the team to victory.
The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 12 points in the opening quarter and overcame 10-point deficits in the third to turn back the Maroons and find themselves in the upper half of the standings in the early going of the tournament.
Baguion teamed up with the hulking Ariel De Castro as NU came up with a 12-0 run going into the fourth quarter to turn a 39-49 deficit into a 51-49 lead.