Rey Suerte lifted the University of the East (UE) to a 79-77 win over National University (NU) yesterday in the 82nd UAAP men’s basketball season at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The UE shooting guard buried a big triple to surge his side ahead 74-72 with 42.2 seconds remaining; however, NU’s Dave Ildefonso eventually tied the game at 74 with a layup in the final 33.7 seconds.
Suerte replied with a one-hander that, once again, gave UE the lead, taking a 76-74 advantage in the final 20.1 second. They went on to increase their advantage to 78-74 with free throws from Suerte and Philip Manalang.
JV Gallego kept NU within striking distance, offering up a three-point conversion to make it a one-point game, down 78-77 in the last 1.2 seconds.
A split from Manalang eventually locked the game with 0.4 seconds to spare.
Suerte finished with 25 points for UE; while Alex Diakhite provided a double-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists; and Manalang contributed five points, seven assists, and four boards.
In the second game, De La Salle University scored an 89-63 win over Adamson University./ASC, WDJ