This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
STARTING STRONG. NU guard Kean Baclaan reacts in the UAAP Season 86 men's basketball tournament
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
The NU Bulldogs temper their celebrations after blowing out the UAAP defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles, instead looking at the big picture in a Final Four repeat bid this Season 86
MANILA, Philippines – The NU Bulldogs kicked off their UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball campaign with a statement 77-64 rout of the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday, September 30.
Unreflective of the final score, NU actually controlled the contest from the get-go until its late stages, peaking with a 20-point fourth-quarter lead, 72-52, before a 12-5 Ateneo finishing kick dropped the difference to just 13.
Although nine Bulldogs scored at least 6 points in the well-balanced offensive outing and defensively held the Blue Eagles to just 36% shooting, NU head coach Jeff Napa is wisely tempering his reaction to his wards’ exceptional season-opening performance.
“This win is nothing. It’s meaningless. It’s just a win,” the amiable mentor said in Filipino after the game. “We’ll just continue again pushing ourselves to the limit so we can keep giving good performances.”
Like Napa, NU floor general Kean Baclaan is quick to move on from the Bulldogs’ blowout, chalking it up to just a nice start for the new season and nothing more.
“We got a big fish, but we’ll shift our focus now in the next game [against FEU],” he said in Filipino after tallying 4 points and a game-high 8 assists.
Baclaan went on to credit Napa in this opening-day win: “I felt from the moment I woke up, we’d win this game. That’s the kind of confidence Coach Jeff was giving us.”
“Going to this game, we felt they were not defending champions. This is a new season.”
NU, boasting a mostly intact core led by Baclaan, Steve Nash Enriquez, and Jake Figueroa, next faces the FEU Tamaraws with much-needed confidence this Wednesday, October 4. – Rappler.com
Summarize this article with AI
