BY ABBY TORALBA
THREE-PEAT seeking National University battles University of Santo Tomas today in Game 1 of their best-of-3 finals showdown for the 85th UAAP men’s basketball title at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Bulldogs and the gritty Golden Spikers are set to display their mettle at 2 p.m. to draw first blood in the race-to-2 series.
Fueled by veterans Nico Almendras and Joshua Retamar, NU gained an outright finals slot this season after completing a 14-0 eliminations sweep.
This feat was the Bulldogs’ eighth-straight finals stint and that extended their dominant win streak to 32 games.
“Masaya parin sa amin ito. Credit sa mga players ko na talagang trinabaho namin itong elimination na ito although siyempre hindi pa namin natatapos, kailangan pa naming tapusin itong season na ito,” Bulldogs coach Dante Alinsunurin said.
UST claimed a berth in the Big Dance last Sunday after beating Far Eastern University in a knockout stepladder semifinals.
The Golden Spikers ended an 11-year finals drought, thanks to the efforts of Gboy De Vega and Josh Ybanez who stepped up in their match against the Tamarws.
Assistant coach Ben Mape bared that the Golden Spikers will be more confident as coach Odjie Mamon and hitter Jay Rack Dela Noche are expected to return to the team from their national team duties.
