Cameroonian big man Alfred Aroga was simply unstoppable on both ends of the court, scoring 24 points while grabbing 18 rebounds and shutting down the paint to power the Bulldogs to an emotional victory Wednesday in front of a jubilant crowd at the Araneta Coliseum.
Three other players scored in double-digits for the Bulldogs, who had an impressive offensive outing, but again leaned on their stingy defense to shut down the Tamaraws in the second half of the contest.
"It's always hard, in a knockout game, and the one week (break) was the longest one week for me and for the team," NU head coach Eric Altamirano said after the game.
"We knew, coming into this season, that we will not have our key players. Except for (point guard) Gelo (Alolino), we lost our starters. We were trying to figure out what's gonna happen to this team," he said.
"We couldn't imagine that we would be champions this year."
It was NU's first UAAP championship since 1954.
The win completed a truly remarkable campaign for the Bulldogs, who played five do-or-die games in the Season 77 playoffs, and became only the first No. 4 seed in the Final Four era to go on to win the crown.
"It was really a long journey for us," Altamirano said. "But I think those playoff games helped us become stronger. The adversity that we went through, nagpalakas sa amin. Lalo kaming nagka-kumpyansa sa bawat isa. It really prepared us for Game 3."
"This team does not give up," he also said. "They refuse to lose. That's the character of this team. There's a sense of unity (among the players). They really love playing for each other."
A record crowd of 25,118 watched the game at the Araneta Coliseum -- breaking the record that the two schools also set in their Game 2 encounter last week. Included among the spectators were former President -- and NU alumnus -- Fidel V. Ramos, as well as 78-year-old Nestor Sapida, a member of the Bulldogs' 1954 UAAP championship team.
Third quarter storm
After leading by only four points, 30-26, at the half, the Bulldogs were able to break the game open with a tremendous third quarter that saw them outscore the Tamaraws, 25-18.
Several players stepped up to the plate, especially guards Gelo Alolino and Rev Diputado, who hit their shots from beyond the arc to help the Bulldogs gain separation.
Diputado and Alolino conspired in a 10-0 run -- with the rookie Diputado scoring five points -- to give NU their first double-digit lead of the contest at 49-35, and the Bulldogs never looked back from that point.
The Tamaraws last threatened early in the fourth frame when they cut the lead to 10 points, 52-62, but each of their shots were answered by the Bulldogs, notable Aroga, Troy Rosario and Kyle Neypes, who were dominant inside the shaded lane.
"Our calling card is defense lang," said Altamirano. "This team showed that you can have teamwork on defense. It's not only on offense, but also on defense."
"That was our passage -- get through the Walls of our own Jericho and get to the Promised Land, so I'm really happy," he added.
The championship allowed NU to make up for last season's heartbreak, which saw them gain the No. 1 seed only to lose to University of Santo Tomas in the Final Four.
"I could still remember 'yung scene na 'yun sa dugout. The players were really dejected, and sabi ko, dalawa lang ang mangyayari -- either it will make or break the team," Altamirano said.
"Fortunately for us, it made the team tougher -- naging hungry sila," he added.
The scores:
NU 75 - Aroga 24, Alolino 12, Khobuntin 10, Alejandro 10, Neypes 8, Rosario 6, Diputado 5, Javelona 0, Beteyene 0, Perez 0, Salim 0.
FEU 59 - Tolomia 23, Belo 17, Dennison 6, Cruz 4, Jose 4, Inigo 3, Hargrove 2, Tamsi 0, Pogoy 0, Ri. Escoto 0, Ru. Escoto 0, Ugsang 0.
Quarter-scoring: 20-18, 30-26, 55-44, 75-59
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