Although already out of the running for a Final Four berth, National University refused to lie down and down yesterday and claimed the scalp of defending champion Ateneo, halting the defending champions' charge into the next round of the 66th UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

Bryan Tolentino, Reynaldo Mendoza and Froilan Baguion dished out superb performances, combining for 57 points for the Bulldogs who feasted on the Eagles' horrendous 22-of-64 shooting that included a mere two points in the third period.

That measly output shattered the all-time record low in a quarter set by Adamson, which scored only three points in a game against University of the East two years ago.

The Eagles, who entered the game tied for first with FEU, slipped into second at 8-3 while NU scored only its second win in 11 outings.

The Bulldogs actually held the upperhand right from the start, but the Eagles stayed within striking distance through the efforts of Wesley Gonzales and Magnum Membrere.

Ateneo trailed 19-21 after the first period and 31-38 at halftime, but NU broke the game wide open in the third, outscoring the napping Eagles 16-2 en route to victory.

"We had nothing to lose. Wala na rin ang pressure," said NU coach Rico Perez. "I guess they were overconfident against us. Sa amin naman, sawa na rin kami sa talo. The boys really worked hard for this."

Tolentino led all scorers with 24 points, while Mendoza and Baguion had 19 and 14, respectively.

The 6-foot-6 Mendoza also pulled down 11 rebounds aside from two steals and a pair of blocks while Baguion had 10 boards, dished out five assists and three steals.

NU's lead ballooned to 20 at 56-36 with eight minutes left in the game before the Blue Eagles went on a mini-rally and trimmed the deficit to 68-58.

But the Bulldogs played steadier down the stretch, making eight out of eight from the stripe in the final minute.

Gonzales had 18 points while Membrere added 11 for the Eagles. 

Ateneo coach Joel Banal, whose team's amazing eight-game winning run got snapped with that defeat, offered no alibis in the Blue Eagles' embarrassing performance against the Bulldogs.

“It's a case of wanting to win and not playing. Nobody played well. We just hope to bounce back in our next game,” said Banal, who locked himself and his team for half an hour after the game.

Banal said the absence of Larry Fonacier, Ateneo's top scorer this season with 13.8 points, spelled the difference.

“We missed Larry, his absence threw our offense out of sync,” added Banal whose team dropped to 8-3.

The scores:
       NU 76 - Tolentino 24, Mendoza 19, Baguion 14, Cajayon 10, Miclat 7,                   
                   Malcontento 5, C. Catamora 0, Mollena 0, Malaguno 0, Balijon 0, D. Catamora 0.
       Ateneo 62 - Gonzales 18, Membrere 11, Tenorio 8, Alvarez 7, Bugia 6, Intal 5, 
                           Tiu 3, Kramer 2, Escalona 2.
       Quarterscores: 21-19; 38-31; 54-33; 76-62