Ateneo dominates in UAAP, beats UST

Update: Full Story
MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo's main man spent more time riding the bench, but the Blue Eagles still proved unstoppable, rolling past the University of Santo Tomas Tigers, 93-77, yesterday to grab the solo UAAP men’s basketball lead at the PhilSports Arena.

A bristling shooting performance starring the 5-foot-6 Emman Monfort carried the Blue Eagles to their third straight triumph despite reigning MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini riding the bench due to early foul trouble.

Monfort, who was cut from the team last year, unloaded 18 points from three-point range to finish with a career-high 20.

“It’s a blessing for us that he’s (Monfort) here,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black. “With Chris Tiu not here anymore, obviously teams are trying to grab Rabeh a lot more. I think right now nobody really respected the game of Emman because nobody really knows him and forgot about him.”

“Every shot I took was open, maybe it’s also a lapse on [UST’s] defense,” said Monfort, the first player coming off the bench this season to lead his team in scoring.

Earlier, the University of the East veterans helped avert another meltdown and the Warriors flogged the National U Bulldogs, 73-59.

“We were able to recover,” said coach Lawrence Chongson, three days after the Warriors blew a 17-point advantage in their 72-57 loss to the Eagles.

Pari Llagas buried nine of his 16 points in the third quarter while Paul Lee collected 14 points, six boards and seven assists for the Warriors, who now share second place with the Tigers at 2-1.

The Eagles outscored the Tigers in a 15-5 run that included three Monfort triples that jacked up Ateneo’s lead from 37-27 to 52-32 late in the second period.

“We’ve done a better job shooting threes this year,” said Black.

Eric Salamat and Ryan Buenafe added 14 points apiece for the Eagles. Al Hussaini, who picked up two fouls right in the first quarter, finished with 13 markers after averaging 22.5 points in the Eagles’ back-to-back victories against preseason favorite Far Eastern University and UE.

In women’s play, the University of the Philippines nipped Ateneo, 48-47, and UST thumped National U, 61-50.

The scores:
First Game
UE 73—Llagas 16, Lee 14, Lingganay 12, Acuña 12, Espiritu 11, Reyes 4, Zamar 2, Duean 2, Tagarda 0.

NU 59—Baloran 19, Ponferrada 11, Hermosisima 11, Malanday 8, Singh 5, Cabaluna 5, Terso 0, Manito 0, Magat 0, Luy 0, Batac 0.
Quarters: 15-18, 36-31, 61-47, 73-59

Second Game
ATENEO 93—Monfort 20, Salamat 14, Buenafe 14, Al-Hussaini 13, Salva 8, Tiongson 7, Long 7, Bacalo 4, Golla 2, De Chavez 2, Chua 2, Sumalinog 0, Reyes 0, Gonzaga 0, Burke 0, Austria 0.

UST 77—Maliksi 20, Ababou 17, Mirza 13, Teng 6, Bautista 6, Afuang 5, Mariano 4, Green 2, Fortuna 2, Camus 2, Ungria 0, Felix 0, Cam 0.
Quarters: 30-21, 52-35, 68-49, 93-77

UAAP: Ateneo takes solo lead against UST

MMANILA, Philippines - Ateneo rolled past University of Santo Tomas Tigers in a 93-77 blowout victory that secured the defending champion Eagles the solo UAAP lead.

Emman Monfort unloaded 18 points from three-point range to finish with a career-high 20 markers Sunday at the PhilSports Arena.

The Tigers fell to second place at 2-1.

ATENEO 93--Monfort 20, Salamat 14, Buenafe 14, Al-Hussaini 13, Salva 8,
Tiongson 7, Long 7, Bacalo 4, Golla 2, De Chavez 2, Chua 2, Sumalinog 0,
Reyes 0, Gonzaga 0, Burke 0, Austria 0.

UST 77--Maliksi 20, Ababou 17, Mirza 13, Teng 6, Bautista 6, Afuang 5,
Mariano 4, Green 2, Fortuna 2, Camus 2, Ungria 0, Felix 0, Cam 0.
Quarters: 30-21, 52-35, 68-49, 93-77

UAAP: UE defeats NU 73-59

MANILA, Philippines -- The University of the East Red Warriors drubbed the National University Bulldogs, 73-59, in the opening game of Sunday's twinbill at the UAAP basketball tournament.

UE now has a 2-1 record, with its loss coming from the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Thursday.

The second game will be a battle of two undefeated teams -- the Blue Eagles and the University of Sto. Tomas Growling Tigers.

UAAP: FEU whips DLSU

MANILA, Philippines – The kind of dominance expected from Far Eastern was in full show Saturday as the Tamaraws whipped the De La Salle Archers, 65-51, in the UAAP men’s basketball competition at the Araneta Coliseum.

A fiery start by veterans Mark Barroca, JR Cawaling, and Reil Cervantes pushed the pre-season favorites Tamaraws to double-digit leads early before they coasted to their first win in two matches.

“The adjustment was more on mental; lumaki agad ang ulo [they got too cocky early],” said coach Glenn Capacio after the Tamaraws rebounded from a 63-59 setback against defending champion Ateneo.

“We emphasized on ball movement. The team [that lost against Ateneo] wasn’t us.”

Barroca, a member of the national developmental team, shot a game-high 15 points, while rookie guard RR Garcia added 12 markers.

Cervantes posted a double-double of 11 points and 13 boards for the Tamaraws, who led by as many as 20 points, 61-41, in the second half.

The Archers – fielding a rookie-laden lineup after finishing second last season – dropped to 0-2 for their worst start in 23 years.

Earlier, Adamson took advantage of the University of the Philippines’ sloppy plays in the closing seconds to post its first triumph, 72-68.

The Falcons turned three straight Maroons turnovers into a crucial 5-0 spurt in the last 16 seconds to pull ahead after trailing at 69-68.

“The reason for that is our defense,” said Adamson coach Leo Austria. “I thought we were going to lose, but because of the constant reminder to be positive, they did not give up.”

Jan Colina registered a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Falcons, who joined the Tamaraws and idle University of the East and National University at 1-1.

Leo Canuday scored an undergoal stab with 16.4 seconds remaining to lift the Falcons up, 69-68, following a Lester Alvarez steal off UP’s Arvin Braganza.

Another Braganza turnover paved the way for a free throw by Adamson guard Jerick Cañada that cushioned the Falcons’ lead, 70-68, with 5.8 seconds left.

The Maroons, who dropped to 0-2, still had a chance to tie or win the game, but another miscue allowed Adamson rookie Eric Camson to score a buzzer-beating jumper for the final tally.

The Tamaraws held a 36-24 advantage at halftime built on a sizzling 51.7 percent shooting clip from a 26-16 lead in the first 15 minutes of play.

The Archers, who were held to their lowest point production in a 65-46 blowout loss to UE last week, continued to struggle with a 23 percent shooting mark.

For the second straight game, no La Salle player scored in double figures.

In juniors action, John Cani fired 19 points, while Christian Canicula added 14 markers and 17 boards to lead UE past FEU, 70-62, for its second straight triumph at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Baby Tamaraws dropped to 1-1 like the Adamson Baby Falcons, who leaned on Irvin Mendoza’s 17 points and 10 rebounds in dumping the winless UP Junior Maroons, 96-64.

Meanwhile, defending champion Ateneo and University of Santo Tomas dispute the solo lead in varsity action at 4 p.m. Sunday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

NU and UE try to recover from recent losses in the first game at 2 p.m.

The scores:
First Game
ADAMSON 72—Colina 14, Cañada 11, Camson 11, Alvarez 9, Canuday 8, Nuyles 6, Galinato 6, Santos 5, Cabrera 2, Margallo 0, Lozada 0, Basilio 0.
UP 68—Co 17, Sison 12, Ma. Reyes 9, Gomez 8, Padilla 6, Mi. Reyes 5, Maniego 4, Lopez 2, Braganza 2, Astorga 2, Juruena 1, Marfori 0, De Asis 0.
Quarters: 20-20, 30-37, 50-54, 72-68

Second Game
FEU 65—Barroca 15, Garcia 12, Cervantes 11, Cawaling 10, Ramos 8, Noundou 4, Tanuan 2, Caluag 2, Manalo 1, Vinluan 0, Sanga 0, Knuttel 0, Exciminiano 0..
LA SALLE 51—Mangahas 8, Malabes 7, Marata 6, Barua 6, Bringas 5, Tolentino 4, Bagatsing 4, Atkins 4, Ferdinand 3, Webb 2, Villanueva 2, Mendoza 0, Co 0, Banal 0.
Quarters: 14-12, 36-24, 51-37, 65-51

UAAP: Ateneo, UST share top spot

MANILA, Philippines - There's a script slowly becoming familiar for the Ateneo Blue Eagles two games into their title defense in the 72nd UAAP Season: They end up on the wrong end of a blistering first quarter, recover their bearings in the second before Rabeh Al-Hussaini flexes his muscles for the knockout blow in the second half.

Pushed to the wall by a hot-starting University of the East squad, the Eagles drew another brilliant effort from Al-Hussaini to stage a big comeback that ended in a 72-57 rout last night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Al-Hussaini, the reigning Most Valuable Player, threw his weight around for 27 points, 19 coming in the second half, as the Eagles clawed their way back from an early 17-point deficit to register their second victory and gain a share of the lead with University of Santo Tomas.

“Rabeh has been working hard,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black. “There were concerns about him during the summer. But I was very confident when he got back to the gym and started to do those big men moves.”

Another impressive individual effort also highlighted UST’s 104-89 dumping of National University as Dylan Ababou sizzled for 30 points to power the Tigers to their first 2-0 start in 10 years.

“We’re a very hungry team and it showed in this game,” said UST coach Pido Jarencio, whose squad was the first team to breach the century mark since National U nipped UP, 107-104, on Aug. 13, 2006.

The Eagles pinned a first loss on the Warriors, who routed the La Salle Archers, 65-46, last Saturday.

Ateneo also needed to claw its way back from an early deficit in a 63-59 victory over Far Eastern U last Sunday. .

The scores:

First Game:

UST 104—Ababou 30, Mirza 19, Teng 14, Fortuna 14, Maliksi 10, Green 7, Mariano 4, Afuang 4, Cam 2, Ungria 0, Camus 0, Rushdy 0, Felix 0, Camus 0, Bautista 0, Aytona 0.

NU 89—Singh 19, Baloran 19, Hermosisima 15, Terso 10, Manito 8, Malanday 7, Ponferrada 6, Batac 3, Luy 2, Roy 0, Magat 0, Fabula 0, Cabaluna 0.

Quarters: 32-24, 63-49, 88-68, 104-89

Second Game:

ATENEO 72—Al-Hussaini 27, Salamat 12, Baclao 10, Reyes 7, Salva 6, Monfort 3, Austria 3, Gonzaga 2, Chua 2, Tiongson 0, Long 0, Buenafe 0.

UE 57—Acuña 21, Lee 14, Reyes 7, Llagas 6, Espiritu 6, Zamar 3, Lingganay 0, Flores 0, Ayala 0, Alabanza 0.

Quarters: 23-11, 35-37, 54-48, 72-57

Tale of two debuts: Eagles soar, Archers fall

By Jasmine W. Payo

CONTRASTING RESULTS MARKED THE early campaign of last year’s UAAP finalists.

Ateneo kicked off its back-to-back championship bid with a thrilling triumph over the pre-season favorite, but fierce rival La Salle absorbed one of its worst losses in recent years.

Ateneo coach Norman Black said surviving a tough game from top contender Far Eastern U hardly set the tone for an easy road back to the Finals.

“It’s just a first win, that’s all it is,” said Black after the Blue Eagles pulled off a 63-59 escape against the Tamaraws last Sunday. “But this is big for us because we have a lot of respect for them and we know they’re very good.”

For his part, coach Franz Pumaren said the embarrassing loss doesn’t make the Green Archers any less a contender.

“We were kind of tentative and jittery on opening day, but I’m still confident we’ll be okay,” said Pumaren.

The Archers, missing main cogs Rico Maierhofer and JV Casio, took one of their worst beatings in a 65-46 loss to the University of the East Warriors last Saturday.

“It’s a very challenging situation on my part right now,” admitted Pumaren. “We don’t have a single dominant player. The players just have to accept the fact that when they look over their shoulders, there’s no Casio or Maierhofer. But I’ve been in situations like this, I think we can still pull through.”

Black similarly expects improvements from his Blue Eagles even if his core, led by reigning MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini, remains in top form.

UAAP: Eagles survive pesky Tamaraws

Al-Hussaini stars in battle of title faves

By Jasmine W. Payo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo's crack guards propped up the Blue Eagles early before the veterans finished off the pesky Far Eastern U Tamaraws with a 63-59 victory in the 72nd UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Eagles turned to Rabeh Al-Hussaini in the final stretch and the reigning MVP responded with a pair of key baskets that pushed the defending champions ahead for good at 61-54 from a 54-54 deadlock.

“It showed why everybody is picking FEU as the team to beat,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black. “We played well in the first half, but they came out with better intensity in the second half. Luckily we just kept our composure and kept our defense.”

Al-Hussaini finished with 18 points and eight rebounds and last year’s top rookie Ryan Buenafe contributed 10.

“We came into the game knowing we’re playing the toughest team, so this is a big win for us; a confidence booster,” added Black.

An Aldrech Ramos three-point play and a Reil Cervantes bucket from the low post moved the Tamaraws within 61-59 before a Buenafe free throw made it 62-59 with 13.6 seconds left.

The Tamaraws tried to forge an extra period, but rookie Ryan Roose Garcia’s triple try rimmed out at the buzzer.

The Eagles shot an impressive 50 percent in the first half, making 7-of-10 attempts from three-point range, as they built a commanding 40-29 advantage.

But with Ramos and Mark Barroca taking over after the break, the Tamaraws roared back with a 15-2 spurt to tie the game at 44.

While the Eagles leaned on their veterans, rookies came through for National University as the Bulldogs downed the error-prone University of the Philippines Maroons, 74-64, in the first game.

Joseph Hermosisima, a 5-foot-10 recruit from Davao, knocked in all of his 12 points from beyond the arc to help the Bulldogs turn an early 10-18 deficit into a 53-44 lead in the third period.

The Bulldogs held the Maroons scoreless in a four-minute stretch at the start of the fourth quarter to pull away by 26 points at 70-44.

“We knew their weaknesses and took advantage of that,” said coach Manny Dandan after his Bulldogs forced the Maroons to commit 37 turnovers.

Over at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan, Gwyne Capacio buried 29 points as La Salle Zobel stunned defending champion Ateneo, 80-56, at the start of high school action.

Capacio, the 6-3 son of FEU mentor Glenn, also had 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Earlier, the University of the East Pages blasted the UP Junior Maroons, 80-56.

The varsity scores:


First Game

NU 74—Hermosisima 12, Singh 10, Ponferrada 10, Malanday 10, Luy 9, Batac 9, Baloran 9, Terso 4, Manito 1, Roy 0, Magat 0, Fabula 0, Cabaluna 0.


UP 64—Padilla 11, Gomez 11, Reyes 9, Lopez 9, Co 9, Sison 4, Maniego 4, Hipolito 3, Reyes 2, Juruena 2, Gingerich 0, Gamboa 0, Astorga 0.
Quarters: 10-18, 36-29, 53-44, 74-64


Second Game

ATENEO 63—Al-Hussaini 18, Buenafe 10, Salva 9, Salamat 8, Monfort 8, Reyes 7, Long 3, Golla 0, Chua 0, Baclao 0, Austria 0.


FEU 59—Ramos 15, Barroca 12, Noundou 9, Garcia 8, Cervantes 6, Cawaling 4, Sanga 3, Knuttel 2, Exciminiano 0, Eguilos 0, Caluag 0.
Quarters: 17-11, 40-29, 50-47, 63-59