MANILA (UPDATED) - National University soared to the top of the league standings after grounding Adamson University, 58-54, on Saturday evening at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Bulldogs racked up a third straight win and improved to 4-1 in UAAP Season 85, putting them at No. 1 in the standings. They ended Adamson's two-game winning streak; the Soaring Falcons now have a 2-3 win-loss record.

John Lloyd Clemente -- who was benched down the stretch of their upset over the University of the Philippines last Wednesday -- earned Player of the Game honors with 14 points, two rebounds, and two steals.

Kean Baclaan had eight points, seven rebounds, and four steals, while Michael Malonzo had seven boards and nine boards. The Bulldogs forced Adamson into 23 turnovers, and won despite shooting just 31.3% from the field.

"At least we escaped [with] this win, kasi Adamson, we already know that Adamson is a very strong team also," NU coach Jeff Napa said. "Talagang hanggang dulo ulit, talagang nag-bleed kami. Up to the last minute, eh hindi sumuko 'yung Adamson."

The Bulldogs led by as much as 10 points and made enough plays down the stretch to hold off the Soaring Falcons' rally. Malonzo hit arguably the biggest shot of the game, beating the shot-clock buzzer for a layup that made it 56-51.

A split at the line by Clemente made it 57-51 with 14.5 seconds left, before Jerom Lastimosa nailed a triple -- his first make after six attempts from long-distance -- to trim the deficit to three points with 6.1 ticks left.

But Jake Figueroa made the second of two free throws to peg the final score, and Didat Hanapi's three-pointer at the buzzer was well off the mark for the Soaring Falcons.

"Luckily, nakuha namin 'tong panalo na 'to. Still, we're not satisfied with how we performed," said Napa, noting that the Bulldogs got out-rebounded and gave up too many points inside the paint for his liking.

"Kailangan naming i-address 'to, we have to correct. Even though we got that W, hindi pa rin kami satisfied sa kung ano pinakita namin today," he added.

Cedrick Manzano led the Falcons with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Lastimosa finished with 11 points, six assists, and three rebounds. The point guard was again the focal point of the opposing team's defense; the Bulldogs forced Lastimosa into eight turnovers during his 31-minute stint.

The scores:

NU (58) -- Clemente 14, Baclaan 8, Malonzo 7, Figueroa 7, Enriquez 7, Yu 7, Manansala 2, Tibayan 2, John 2, Galinato 2, Padrones 0, Mahinay 0, Minerva 0, Palacielo 0.

AdU (54) -- Manzano 12, Lastimosa 11, Douanga 9, Yerro 7, Colonia 4, Hanapi 4, Jaymalin 3, V. Magbuhos 2, Torres 2, W. Magbuhos 0, Fuentebella 0, Barcelona 0, Flowers 0.

Quarterscores: 11-11, 28-25, 41-35, 58-54