Ateneo bucks slow start, claws past UE
Friday, 17 July 2009 7,296 Views / 162 Comments
ATENEO DE MANILA turned a horrendous start into a statement game.
After trailing by as many as 17 points, the defending UAAP champions turned up the heat and dominated the inside en route to a 72-57 hammering of University of the East in Season 72 at the Araneta Coliseum last July 16.
The Blue Eagles looked like sitting ducks in the first quarter as coach Lawrence Chongson’s troops fired away from three-point territory, going 5-for-11 and holding their opponents to 20 percent shooting from the field.
A rejuvenated Ateneo squad came out strong in the second quarter, with reigning Most Valuable Player Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Eric Salamat combining for 14 points to trim the Red Warrior lead to two heading into the break. Val Acuña and Paul Lee helped extend the UE advantage to seven early in the third quarter, but back-to-back stabs from Al-Hussaini and Nonoy Baclao forced the first deadlock of the game at 45-all with 5:28 left in the period.
It was all Blue and White from that point on as Ateneo fed the 6’7†Al-Hussaini the ball down low in a blatant attempt to take advantage of UE’s lack of ceiling. The Recto outfit also tapered off in the third, shooting just 19 percent from the field. In the final 10 minutes, Ateneo pulled away after Bacon Austria and Emman Monfort opened the final canto with booming treys, giving the Katipunan quintet a 60-48 lead at the 8:49 mark.
Al-Hussaini topscored for the 2-0 Blue Eagles with 27 points and 11 boards, while Salamat finished with 12 markers. The Ateneo defense put an end to UE’s first quarter shooting party, limiting it to 29.3 percent from the field overall. Coach Norman Black’s squad also forced the Warriors to commit 17 turnovers, six more than their own output.
Acuña paced UE with 21 points, while Lee had 14.
In the pressroom, Black said, “We adjusted by not gambling so much on our shots, so we could defend well. I think we did a better job in the second half. We played better defense, we [also] shot better in the second half when we were moving the basketball and we became patient.â€
Ateneo next plays University of Sto. Tomas in a battle of undefeated teams on Sunday, while 1-1 UE takes on National University two hours before.
The scores:
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.
Quarter scoring: 11-23, 35-37, 54-48, 72-57.
(5 votes, average: 4.80 out of 5)
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