By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 31, 2008
Ateneo kept its fiery form in the second round last night as the Eagles waylaid the National University Bulldogs, 83-58, to clinch a twice-to-beat incentive in the semifinals of the UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Most Valuable Player candidates Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Chris Tiu anchored the Eagles to their 12th win in 13 starts which gave the Katipunan-based squad to the top for the first time since the 2006 season, when they eventually lost to UST in the Finals.
Al-Hussaini led the Loyola-based squad with 20 points and six rebounds while Tiu made 16 points, six rebounds and three assists as he shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Earlier, Far Eastern University bolstered its own bid for the second twice-to-beat incentive with a 71-70 suqeaker over the University of the Philippines.
It was the 10th win against three losses for the Tamaraws who now occupy the second spoy in the eight-team league.
"Now the hard part begins," Ateneo coach Norman Black said. "At least we were able to accomplish our goal up to this point and we’ll just have to sit back and find out who are we going to play in the Final Four."
With the number one seeding in the semis, the Blue Eagles will meet either University of the East or the University of Santo Tomas. The Red Warriors, who has a 7-5 record, hold a two-game lead over the 5-7 Growling Tigers as both teams meet today.
Edwin Asoro was the lone double-digit scorer for NU with 19 points along with 13 rebounds and four blocks as the Bulldogs suffered their fifth straight defeat to fall to 2-11.
The Bulldogs never came close after Jahnke converted a three-pointer for a 32-31 lead as Tiu hit nine consecutive points while Jai Reyes and Eric Salamat each made a three in the homestretch as Ateneo grabbed a huge 49-37 halftime lead.
In the first game, the Tamaraws trailed the Fighting Maroons, 51-53, going ito the final 10 minutes where Mac Baracael pumped in six points, including the go-ahead triple that broke a 56-56 deadlock, 7:38 left.
In victory, FEU coach Glenn Capacio expressed his disgust with his players.
"Siguro hindi na ako nagkukulang to motivate them," said Capacio. "May tendency sila kapag alam nila ang kalaban na wala na sa running sa Final Four, nagre-relax sila."
"Kung ikaw ang nasa side ng UP, nothing to lose so ibibigay nila yung best nila, kami dapat may killer instinct kami kasi going to the Final Four hindi ka pwedeng magrelax," he added.
Baracael, playing in his second game since being shot by a still unknown assailant last month, finished with nine points.
"Bibigyan ko siya (Baracael) ng passing grade, siguro nasa 75-80 percent na siya ngayon," Capacio said. "Talagang kailangan namin siya para makatulong sa mga big men ko kaya pinipilit ko siyang masanay sa endgame kasi siya ang leader at pinaka-senior sa team."
Aldrech Ramos shared top scoring honors with Mark Barroca with 12 points, to go along with his six rebounds. JR Cawaling, last year’s Rookie of the Year, made five of his seven points in the fourth period while grabbing seven rebounds and dished out four assists off the bench.
Custom Search
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Ateneo targets semis incentive
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 30, 2008
Ateneo, needing just one more win to assure itself of the overall top spot, aims to use its game against lowly National University today to hone its defense while shooting for win No. 12 to formally gain a twice-to-beat incentive in the semifinals of the UAAP basketball tournament.
"Well, we are just a win away from getting the twice-to-beat," Ateneo coach Norman Black said on the eve of their 4 p.m. date with the Bulldogs at the PhilSports Arena.
"That’s the goal from the very beginning and we have to win against NU."
With two games remaining, Black said defense will be the team’s priority.
"At this point of the season, we just decided to play defense, we’ll not worry about our offense anymore," he said.
"Defense got us into a good start."
A victory will not only give the Eagles the coveted twice-to-beat advantage in the Final 4 but will also put Ateneo in the No. 1 post in the semifinals.
Opening the day’s twinbill at 2 p.m. will pit Far Eastern University against the University of the Philippines where the Tamaraws will aim for solo second to boost their own bid for the other twice-to-beat incentives.
The Blue Eagles will be bannered once more by Most Valuable Player candidates Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Chris Tiu while Eric Salamat, Ryan Buenafe and Nonoy Baclao are expected to provide added muscle.
Despite a 2-10 record, the Bulldogs played competitive basketball in their last three games, faltering only in the endgame.
This, the Bulldogs will try to prevent behind Edwin Asoro, Jonathan Jahnke, Raymund Aguilar, Jewel Ponferrada, Jessey Garcia and Chris Catamora.
In the first game, the Tamaraws will have Mac Baracael on their bench for the second straight time.
Baracael, who was shot last month by a still unknown assailant, played six minutes against NU last Thursday and scored a jumper and grabbed a rebound in his first game after missing seven games while recovering from his gunshot wounds.
"Pakiramdam ko parang rookie ulit ako," Baracael said Thursday.
Although the return of Baracael has rejuvenated the 9-3 Tamaraws’ quest for one of the two twice-to-beat incentives, coach Glenn Capacio remains wary about his team’s performance going into the homestretch.
"Siyempre masaya kami na nasa Final Four kami pero hindi pa tumitigil kasi ang gusto namin talaga ay mag-number two at malaking advantage sa amin kapag nasa top two kami," said Capacio.
While Benedict Fernandez has led the team in scoring, FEU has been bolstered by the efforts of point guard Mark Barroca, who scored 26 and 22 points in his last two games. Big men Aldrech Ramos and Reil Cervantes have helped the team inside while backup guard Jens Knuttel is providing solid contributions off the bench.
The Fighting Maroons, who holds a 3-9 mark, hopes to have Jay Agbayani back from injury while Migs de Asis hopes to have another solid effort like he did in the last two games. On the other hand, Martin Reyes will look to bounce back from his disappointing one point production against Ateneo last Sunday.
Ateneo, needing just one more win to assure itself of the overall top spot, aims to use its game against lowly National University today to hone its defense while shooting for win No. 12 to formally gain a twice-to-beat incentive in the semifinals of the UAAP basketball tournament.
"Well, we are just a win away from getting the twice-to-beat," Ateneo coach Norman Black said on the eve of their 4 p.m. date with the Bulldogs at the PhilSports Arena.
"That’s the goal from the very beginning and we have to win against NU."
With two games remaining, Black said defense will be the team’s priority.
"At this point of the season, we just decided to play defense, we’ll not worry about our offense anymore," he said.
"Defense got us into a good start."
A victory will not only give the Eagles the coveted twice-to-beat advantage in the Final 4 but will also put Ateneo in the No. 1 post in the semifinals.
Opening the day’s twinbill at 2 p.m. will pit Far Eastern University against the University of the Philippines where the Tamaraws will aim for solo second to boost their own bid for the other twice-to-beat incentives.
The Blue Eagles will be bannered once more by Most Valuable Player candidates Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Chris Tiu while Eric Salamat, Ryan Buenafe and Nonoy Baclao are expected to provide added muscle.
Despite a 2-10 record, the Bulldogs played competitive basketball in their last three games, faltering only in the endgame.
This, the Bulldogs will try to prevent behind Edwin Asoro, Jonathan Jahnke, Raymund Aguilar, Jewel Ponferrada, Jessey Garcia and Chris Catamora.
In the first game, the Tamaraws will have Mac Baracael on their bench for the second straight time.
Baracael, who was shot last month by a still unknown assailant, played six minutes against NU last Thursday and scored a jumper and grabbed a rebound in his first game after missing seven games while recovering from his gunshot wounds.
"Pakiramdam ko parang rookie ulit ako," Baracael said Thursday.
Although the return of Baracael has rejuvenated the 9-3 Tamaraws’ quest for one of the two twice-to-beat incentives, coach Glenn Capacio remains wary about his team’s performance going into the homestretch.
"Siyempre masaya kami na nasa Final Four kami pero hindi pa tumitigil kasi ang gusto namin talaga ay mag-number two at malaking advantage sa amin kapag nasa top two kami," said Capacio.
While Benedict Fernandez has led the team in scoring, FEU has been bolstered by the efforts of point guard Mark Barroca, who scored 26 and 22 points in his last two games. Big men Aldrech Ramos and Reil Cervantes have helped the team inside while backup guard Jens Knuttel is providing solid contributions off the bench.
The Fighting Maroons, who holds a 3-9 mark, hopes to have Jay Agbayani back from injury while Migs de Asis hopes to have another solid effort like he did in the last two games. On the other hand, Martin Reyes will look to bounce back from his disappointing one point production against Ateneo last Sunday.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Game Result: FEU 64 - NU 60
FEU Tamaraws
64 Points
38 Rebounds
14 Assists
_3 Steals
_4 Blocks
22/62 (35.48%) FG
_2/14 (14.29%) 3P FG
18/27 (66.67%) FT
NU Bulldogs
60 Points
42 Rebounds
17 Assists
_3 Steals
_4 Blocks
25/65 (38.46%) FG
_5/22 (22.73%) 3P FG
_5/7_ (71.43%) FT
Quarters: 16-17, 37-33, 56-48, 64-60
64 Points
38 Rebounds
14 Assists
_3 Steals
_4 Blocks
22/62 (35.48%) FG
_2/14 (14.29%) 3P FG
18/27 (66.67%) FT
NU Bulldogs
60 Points
42 Rebounds
17 Assists
_3 Steals
_4 Blocks
25/65 (38.46%) FG
_5/22 (22.73%) 3P FG
_5/7_ (71.43%) FT
Quarters: 16-17, 37-33, 56-48, 64-60
Tamaraws, Archers barge into semis
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 29, 2008
Baracael returns to FEU bench
Inspired by the presence of Mac Baracael, whose dream of playing in the PBA nearly turned into a nightmare a month ago, Far Eastern University repulsed the spirited challenge of National University, 64-60, yesterday to secure a semifinals berth in the UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
Though the 6-foot-3 Baracael was still out of rhythm as evident by his poor timing and balance, FEU coach Glenn Capacio gave him a passing grade.
In the other game, defending champion La Salle also gained a semis berth by downing University of Santo Tomas, 81-79.
With their wins, La Salle and FEU joined league-leading Ateneo (11-1) in the Final Four.
Freshman Maui Villanueva starred for La Salle’s victory when he scored on a follow-up as time expired.
La Salle’s Houdini act despite the absence of head coach Franz Pumaren put UST’s Final Four bid in peril.
The Tigers, who fell to 5-7, rallied mightily to tie the game at 79-79 on the effort of seldom-used Milan Vargas. But the Archers still got the victory as rookie LA Revilla drove hard to the basket in a bid to settle the game. Though he missed his shot, Villanueva was there to follow it up to the cheers of the a huge green and white supporters.
"Actually we don’t have any timeouts left pero nung nag timeout sila, nakapag-diagram pa kami ng play," said La Salle interim coach Jack Santiago. "Talagang play namin was for LA kasi five seconds na lang at siya yung pinakamabilis. Good thing na-beat niya yung defense ng UST."
Pumaren is currently in Iran, calling the shots for the RP Youth Team in the FIBA Asia Youth Championships.
"I had a sleepless night, siguro mga 4 a.m. na ako nakakatulog," said Santiago. "During games, may mga konting adjustments, mostly on defense, same scenario pa din as when coach Franz was here."
JV Casio led La Salle with 29 points, 18 coming in the final canto as the Archers broke a 67-67 tie by hitting five straight points that made it a 74-69 contest with 2:58 left.
Peejay Barua added 17 markers while Rico Maierhofer tallied a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds before fouling out.
In the first game, Baracael scored only two points in his comeback from a near-fatal shooting incident that remains unsolved until this time but was upbeat about his playing condition.
"Happy ako kasi nakabalik na ako at matutulungan ko na ang team at makakapaglaro, second chance na ito sa akin," said Baracael, who was fielded in the game with only two minutes and 16 seconds left in the first quarter.
He was fielded back in the third where his jumper gave the Tamaraws a 56-48 lead.
"Siguro gusto ko lang ma-feel niya yung laro ulit pero alam ko naman na hindi pa siya 100 percent so ang hiningi ko lang sa kanya ay 2 to 3 minutes. Ayos na sakin basta maka-contribute siya sa defense at sa rebounding," Capacio said of Baracael.
Baracael, who suffered a fractured rib because of the incident, was cleared by doctors to practice with the team two weeks ago but got involved in his first full contact practice only last Monday.
Inspired by the presence of their leader, the Tamaraws, behind Mark Barroca, Aldrech Ramos and Benedict Fernandez, overcame a faltering finish to notch their 9th win in 12 starts, a victory that propelled them to the semis for the first time since Arwind Santos led the Tamaraws to their 19th overall championship in 2005.
Barroca, who scored 26 points last Saturday against De La Salle, led FEU anew with 22 points, 15 of which came in the first half, while Reil Cervantes put in 12 points.
Ramos and Fernandez combined for only 15 points this time but hit crucial baskets down the stretch that stopped NU’s spirited challenge.
Trailing by eight entering the final canto, the Bulldogs unleashed a blistering 10-0 blast as Chris Catamora scored off a pass by Raymund Aguilar that gave NU a 58-56 lead with 4:54 left in the game.
But FEU reclaimed the lead as Ramos scored on a tough lay-in with 2:21 to go, 62-60, before coming up with several defensive plays to frustrate the Bulldogs this time around.
"Parang nabunutan ako ng tinik," said Capacio. "Mabuti na lang na-execute namin ang mga plays namin down the stretch. We’re really happy that we are in the Final Four,"
Jonathan Jahnke led NU with 15 points while Aguilar made 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists but suffered its fourth straight setback to fall down into the cellar with Adamson at 2-10.
Baracael returns to FEU bench
Inspired by the presence of Mac Baracael, whose dream of playing in the PBA nearly turned into a nightmare a month ago, Far Eastern University repulsed the spirited challenge of National University, 64-60, yesterday to secure a semifinals berth in the UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
Though the 6-foot-3 Baracael was still out of rhythm as evident by his poor timing and balance, FEU coach Glenn Capacio gave him a passing grade.
In the other game, defending champion La Salle also gained a semis berth by downing University of Santo Tomas, 81-79.
With their wins, La Salle and FEU joined league-leading Ateneo (11-1) in the Final Four.
Freshman Maui Villanueva starred for La Salle’s victory when he scored on a follow-up as time expired.
La Salle’s Houdini act despite the absence of head coach Franz Pumaren put UST’s Final Four bid in peril.
The Tigers, who fell to 5-7, rallied mightily to tie the game at 79-79 on the effort of seldom-used Milan Vargas. But the Archers still got the victory as rookie LA Revilla drove hard to the basket in a bid to settle the game. Though he missed his shot, Villanueva was there to follow it up to the cheers of the a huge green and white supporters.
"Actually we don’t have any timeouts left pero nung nag timeout sila, nakapag-diagram pa kami ng play," said La Salle interim coach Jack Santiago. "Talagang play namin was for LA kasi five seconds na lang at siya yung pinakamabilis. Good thing na-beat niya yung defense ng UST."
Pumaren is currently in Iran, calling the shots for the RP Youth Team in the FIBA Asia Youth Championships.
"I had a sleepless night, siguro mga 4 a.m. na ako nakakatulog," said Santiago. "During games, may mga konting adjustments, mostly on defense, same scenario pa din as when coach Franz was here."
JV Casio led La Salle with 29 points, 18 coming in the final canto as the Archers broke a 67-67 tie by hitting five straight points that made it a 74-69 contest with 2:58 left.
Peejay Barua added 17 markers while Rico Maierhofer tallied a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds before fouling out.
In the first game, Baracael scored only two points in his comeback from a near-fatal shooting incident that remains unsolved until this time but was upbeat about his playing condition.
"Happy ako kasi nakabalik na ako at matutulungan ko na ang team at makakapaglaro, second chance na ito sa akin," said Baracael, who was fielded in the game with only two minutes and 16 seconds left in the first quarter.
He was fielded back in the third where his jumper gave the Tamaraws a 56-48 lead.
"Siguro gusto ko lang ma-feel niya yung laro ulit pero alam ko naman na hindi pa siya 100 percent so ang hiningi ko lang sa kanya ay 2 to 3 minutes. Ayos na sakin basta maka-contribute siya sa defense at sa rebounding," Capacio said of Baracael.
Baracael, who suffered a fractured rib because of the incident, was cleared by doctors to practice with the team two weeks ago but got involved in his first full contact practice only last Monday.
Inspired by the presence of their leader, the Tamaraws, behind Mark Barroca, Aldrech Ramos and Benedict Fernandez, overcame a faltering finish to notch their 9th win in 12 starts, a victory that propelled them to the semis for the first time since Arwind Santos led the Tamaraws to their 19th overall championship in 2005.
Barroca, who scored 26 points last Saturday against De La Salle, led FEU anew with 22 points, 15 of which came in the first half, while Reil Cervantes put in 12 points.
Ramos and Fernandez combined for only 15 points this time but hit crucial baskets down the stretch that stopped NU’s spirited challenge.
Trailing by eight entering the final canto, the Bulldogs unleashed a blistering 10-0 blast as Chris Catamora scored off a pass by Raymund Aguilar that gave NU a 58-56 lead with 4:54 left in the game.
But FEU reclaimed the lead as Ramos scored on a tough lay-in with 2:21 to go, 62-60, before coming up with several defensive plays to frustrate the Bulldogs this time around.
"Parang nabunutan ako ng tinik," said Capacio. "Mabuti na lang na-execute namin ang mga plays namin down the stretch. We’re really happy that we are in the Final Four,"
Jonathan Jahnke led NU with 15 points while Aguilar made 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists but suffered its fourth straight setback to fall down into the cellar with Adamson at 2-10.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
DLSU, FEU resume twice-to-beat race
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 28, 2008Defending champion La Salle and Far Eastern University resume their chase for the other twice-to-beat privilege in the Final Four when they go up against separate rivals today in the UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Tamaraws and Green Archers, both toting similar 8-3 records, will not only try to book a spot in the Final Four but also remain in second place behind Ateneo in the team standings.
The Archers, who will play without head coach Franz Pumaren, collide with the University of Santo Tomas Tigers at 4 p.m. while the Tamaraws tangle with the National University Bulldogs at 2 p.m.
Pumaren left Monday for Tehran, Iran to handle the RP Youth team that will take part in the Asian Youth Championship. He will miss two of the last three games of La Salle.
The Tamaraws are on a rampage following their vengeful 83-75 win over the Archers last Sunday.
That will also be their main goal today as they try to avenge their 69-61 loss to the Bulldogs on Aug. 3. "Kailangan namin bumawi kasi first round talo kami," said Capacio. "Kasi period of adjustment nung time na yun wala kaming Robert (Kave), wala kaming Mac Baracael so ngayon maganda naka-adjust na kami without them."
Although they have managed to tie DLSU for second spot in the standings, Capacio wants to remain consistent before the end of the season.
"Siyempre natutuwa kami na number two kami pero hindi pa rin dapat kami maging kumpiyansa dapat trabaho pa din," he said.
FEU hopes to have another strong effort from Mark Barroca, who bedazzled La Salle, especially JV Casio, to finish with 26 points.
Capacio has plenty of offensive options with the consistent showing of Benedict Fernandez, backup guard Jens Knuttel and the frontline tandem of Reil Cervantes and Aldrech Ramos.
For the Bulldogs, they will again rely on veterans Edwin Asoro, Jonathan Jahnke, and Raymund Aguilar.
Still, Pumaren is confident that his assistants, led by Jack Santiago, and his players, are ready to face th challenge of the Tigers.
"I think my players are in good hands," Pumaren said before he left for Iran last Monday. "They know very well what to expect and I think my boys are really prepared, I believe that my veterans will lead this team."
Needing to bounce back from their tough loss to the Tamaraws, are Casio and Rico Maierhofer.
The Tigers are in a must-win situation since they trail the University of the East Warriors by 1 ½ games. And coach Pido Jarencio is fully aware of their situation.
"Basta ang crucial sa amin ay yung every quarter ng game against La Salle, hindi yung La Salle lang, one game at a time kami," said Jarencio.
Jarencio sees no difference in the absence of Pumaren.
"Walang advantage kasi player naman maglalaro eh," he said. "Siyempre yung system nandoon na, yung will na lang ng players baka ganun pa din, alam mo naman si coach Franz hindi naman nagpabaya doon sa team niya kaya siguro walang bago."
Jarencio is looking for a big game from reigning Most Valuable Player Jervy Cruz, Dylan Ababou and Francis Allera.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Eagles near No. 1 spot
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 25, 2008
Ateneo remained perfect in the second round of elimination yesterday as the Eagles demolished the University of the Philippines Maroons, 79-58, to clinch at least a playoff for one of the two twice-to-beat berths in the Final 4 of the UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
After surviving the huge challenge of the Maroons in the first two quarters, the Eagles went full throttle in the payoff period to pull away for good for their 11th win that moved them to within a win of securing the No. 1 spot in the semifinals.
With an 11-1 card, the Eagles, who will face the National University Bulldogs on Saturday, need only one more win to secure the top spot and the twice-to-beat advantage that goes with it. The Eagles are 2 ½ games ahead of co-second placers Far Eastern University and De La Salle, both with 8-3 records.
The second placer after the double-round elims also enjoys a twice-to-beat advantage in the semis.
In the second game, University of the East bounced back from a heart-breaking overtime loss to Ateneo by downing Adamson, 58-45, to improve to 7-4.
Paul Zamar and veteran Marcy Arellano topscored for the Warriors with 13 points apiece.
The win enabled the Warriors to increase their lead over University of Santo Tomas for the last spot in the Final Four to 1 ½ games.
Zamar, son of former UE head coach Boyzie Zamar, shot 6-of-10 from the field, while adding four rebounds in 28 minutes of play.
So tough was UE’s defense that no player in Adamson’s side scored in double figures.
Ateneo led only by eight points at halftime, 36-28, but center Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Chris Tiu came through with inspired plays to spark the decisive breakaway and extend the Eagles’ win streak to six, their longest in years.
They won their first five games in the first round before absorbing a stinging 72-66 loss to Far Eastern University.
Al-Hussaini led Ateneo with 24 points and 17 rebounds, his fourth double-double performance of the season, while Tiu finished with 14 markers.
Tiu highlighted his brilliant game by producing a season-high 10 assists – the most by any player in the league since NU’s Jason Malcontento made 11 in the team’s 95-86 loss to UP on August 3, 2006.
Ateneo coach Norman Black also credited his second unit for stepping up big after some of the team’s key players played lackadaisically this time.
"I was very happy with our performance in the second half, especially with the second team," said Black. "I’ve been wanting to them to pick up their game and they were able to separate from UP which I think was important, so hats off to my second team today."
Ateneo struggled in the first 20 minutes as Woody Co scored all his 10 points in the first half while Magi Sison and Migs de Asis added six apiece that saw the Maroons trail by only point in the first quarter and eight at the half.
"First half, I thought our teamwork was bad, they (Maroons) were helping defensively and our ball movement was bad in the first half, we weren’t sharing the ball, everybody wanted to shoot," Black said.
"At halftime, we talked about it, we’ve been an unselfish team the entire year let’s not start to change now, we have been a little success. So in the second half, we tried to get back playing more as a team which basically what came down," he added.
The Blue Eagles’ biggest lead came at 27 points after Luis Gonzaga buried a triple with under a minute left in the game, 79-52.
Ateneo remained perfect in the second round of elimination yesterday as the Eagles demolished the University of the Philippines Maroons, 79-58, to clinch at least a playoff for one of the two twice-to-beat berths in the Final 4 of the UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
After surviving the huge challenge of the Maroons in the first two quarters, the Eagles went full throttle in the payoff period to pull away for good for their 11th win that moved them to within a win of securing the No. 1 spot in the semifinals.
With an 11-1 card, the Eagles, who will face the National University Bulldogs on Saturday, need only one more win to secure the top spot and the twice-to-beat advantage that goes with it. The Eagles are 2 ½ games ahead of co-second placers Far Eastern University and De La Salle, both with 8-3 records.
The second placer after the double-round elims also enjoys a twice-to-beat advantage in the semis.
In the second game, University of the East bounced back from a heart-breaking overtime loss to Ateneo by downing Adamson, 58-45, to improve to 7-4.
Paul Zamar and veteran Marcy Arellano topscored for the Warriors with 13 points apiece.
The win enabled the Warriors to increase their lead over University of Santo Tomas for the last spot in the Final Four to 1 ½ games.
Zamar, son of former UE head coach Boyzie Zamar, shot 6-of-10 from the field, while adding four rebounds in 28 minutes of play.
So tough was UE’s defense that no player in Adamson’s side scored in double figures.
Ateneo led only by eight points at halftime, 36-28, but center Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Chris Tiu came through with inspired plays to spark the decisive breakaway and extend the Eagles’ win streak to six, their longest in years.
They won their first five games in the first round before absorbing a stinging 72-66 loss to Far Eastern University.
Al-Hussaini led Ateneo with 24 points and 17 rebounds, his fourth double-double performance of the season, while Tiu finished with 14 markers.
Tiu highlighted his brilliant game by producing a season-high 10 assists – the most by any player in the league since NU’s Jason Malcontento made 11 in the team’s 95-86 loss to UP on August 3, 2006.
Ateneo coach Norman Black also credited his second unit for stepping up big after some of the team’s key players played lackadaisically this time.
"I was very happy with our performance in the second half, especially with the second team," said Black. "I’ve been wanting to them to pick up their game and they were able to separate from UP which I think was important, so hats off to my second team today."
Ateneo struggled in the first 20 minutes as Woody Co scored all his 10 points in the first half while Magi Sison and Migs de Asis added six apiece that saw the Maroons trail by only point in the first quarter and eight at the half.
"First half, I thought our teamwork was bad, they (Maroons) were helping defensively and our ball movement was bad in the first half, we weren’t sharing the ball, everybody wanted to shoot," Black said.
"At halftime, we talked about it, we’ve been an unselfish team the entire year let’s not start to change now, we have been a little success. So in the second half, we tried to get back playing more as a team which basically what came down," he added.
The Blue Eagles’ biggest lead came at 27 points after Luis Gonzaga buried a triple with under a minute left in the game, 79-52.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tams gore Archers, claim share of 2nd
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 24, 2008
Who’s afraid of La Salle’s JV Casio? Certainly not Mark Barroca, the wily guard of Far Eastern University.
The sophomore outshone the La Salle ace yesterday to help lift the Tamaraws to a vengeful 83-75 win over the Archers in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena.
In what could be his finest game so far, Barroca exploded for 13 points in the final quarter, including six in a row at one point, to finish with a career-high 26 points as the Tamaraws improved their record to 8-3, the same win-loss slate of their victims.
"This is my second year as coach of FEU, hindi ko ine-expect na mag number two kami" said Capacio. "Nakakagulat so siyempre nandun na kami sa number two, susubukan namin makuha ang twice-to-beat."
Barroca, who hails from Zamboanga City, shot 11-of-14 from the floor while grabbing seven rebounds in 31 minutes of play to beat the more popular Casio in their backcourt duel.
He and back-up guard Jens Knuttel limited Casio to just 15 points, a far cry from his 29-point performance in the team’s victory over National University.
Knuttel, a second-year Fil-German standout out of FEU-FERN, came off the bench to tally 11 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 32 minutes.
"Super nilaro nila ngayon," said Capacio of his backcourt crew. "We limited Casio to just 15 points last game naka-29 sila so defensively and offensively, maganda pinakita ng backcourt ko."
Benedict Fernandez hit 14 points before spending the rest of the game on the bench due to cramps while Reil Cervantes added 13 points and five rebounds in the victory.
The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for La Salle coach Franz Pumaren, who is leaving next week for Tehran, Iran. Pumaren is also the coach of the RP Youth team that will see action in the Asian Youth Championships.
FEU built a commanding 52-41 lead in the third quarter only for the Archers to snatch it away with a one-point lead off a three-pointer by Casio, 59-58, with 6:36 left.
But Barroca hit six consecutive points before Cervantes and Knuttel scored each off two DLSU turnovers to pad their lead to 10 with 2:38 remaining.
"Grabe yung poise na pinakita ng mga bata, were down by one nung hinabol kami yung composure ng mga bata nandun so yung inaasam ko na last year na lumabas at least ngayon nakikita ko na," Capacio said. "Ako na siguro yung pinakamasayang coach sa Pilipinas kasi nagbubunga na yung sipag ng team so hopefully sana tuloy tuloy."
Rico Maierhofer led La Salle with 18 points and 13 rebounds with James Mangahas making 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field.
Allera, who suffered a knee injury at the start of the season, scored 11 points in the second half alone to finish with 14 while shooting 3-of-7 from the three-point area. Bautista scored all of his eight points in the third quarter.
"Medyo na pick-up na namin yung rhythm namin basta kuha lang namin yung timing medyo OK na kami,"said UST coach Pido Jarencio. "Alam niyo naman yung mga bata e nagsusumikap kaso we fell short every game dahil siguro may mga injury pero this time papalakas na yung mga bata, wala nang nararamdaman."
Aaron Galapon led the Bulldogs with 12 points and eight rebounds. Edwin Asoro also finished with 12 points and 10 boards but shot a miserable 4-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-10 from the foul line.
Allera hit a triple while Bautista connected on two consecutive treys that enabled UST to grab the lead for good, 43-39, with 3:52 left in the third.
Who’s afraid of La Salle’s JV Casio? Certainly not Mark Barroca, the wily guard of Far Eastern University.
The sophomore outshone the La Salle ace yesterday to help lift the Tamaraws to a vengeful 83-75 win over the Archers in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena.
In what could be his finest game so far, Barroca exploded for 13 points in the final quarter, including six in a row at one point, to finish with a career-high 26 points as the Tamaraws improved their record to 8-3, the same win-loss slate of their victims.
"This is my second year as coach of FEU, hindi ko ine-expect na mag number two kami" said Capacio. "Nakakagulat so siyempre nandun na kami sa number two, susubukan namin makuha ang twice-to-beat."
Barroca, who hails from Zamboanga City, shot 11-of-14 from the floor while grabbing seven rebounds in 31 minutes of play to beat the more popular Casio in their backcourt duel.
He and back-up guard Jens Knuttel limited Casio to just 15 points, a far cry from his 29-point performance in the team’s victory over National University.
Knuttel, a second-year Fil-German standout out of FEU-FERN, came off the bench to tally 11 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 32 minutes.
"Super nilaro nila ngayon," said Capacio of his backcourt crew. "We limited Casio to just 15 points last game naka-29 sila so defensively and offensively, maganda pinakita ng backcourt ko."
Benedict Fernandez hit 14 points before spending the rest of the game on the bench due to cramps while Reil Cervantes added 13 points and five rebounds in the victory.
The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for La Salle coach Franz Pumaren, who is leaving next week for Tehran, Iran. Pumaren is also the coach of the RP Youth team that will see action in the Asian Youth Championships.
FEU built a commanding 52-41 lead in the third quarter only for the Archers to snatch it away with a one-point lead off a three-pointer by Casio, 59-58, with 6:36 left.
But Barroca hit six consecutive points before Cervantes and Knuttel scored each off two DLSU turnovers to pad their lead to 10 with 2:38 remaining.
"Grabe yung poise na pinakita ng mga bata, were down by one nung hinabol kami yung composure ng mga bata nandun so yung inaasam ko na last year na lumabas at least ngayon nakikita ko na," Capacio said. "Ako na siguro yung pinakamasayang coach sa Pilipinas kasi nagbubunga na yung sipag ng team so hopefully sana tuloy tuloy."
Rico Maierhofer led La Salle with 18 points and 13 rebounds with James Mangahas making 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field.
Allera, who suffered a knee injury at the start of the season, scored 11 points in the second half alone to finish with 14 while shooting 3-of-7 from the three-point area. Bautista scored all of his eight points in the third quarter.
"Medyo na pick-up na namin yung rhythm namin basta kuha lang namin yung timing medyo OK na kami,"said UST coach Pido Jarencio. "Alam niyo naman yung mga bata e nagsusumikap kaso we fell short every game dahil siguro may mga injury pero this time papalakas na yung mga bata, wala nang nararamdaman."
Aaron Galapon led the Bulldogs with 12 points and eight rebounds. Edwin Asoro also finished with 12 points and 10 boards but shot a miserable 4-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-10 from the foul line.
Allera hit a triple while Bautista connected on two consecutive treys that enabled UST to grab the lead for good, 43-39, with 3:52 left in the third.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
DLSU, FEU clash for 2nd
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 23, 2008
Title contenders La Salle and Far Eastern University clash today in what could be the preview of their Final Four showdown in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the Philsports Arena.
The Green Archers and Tamaraws need a victory in their scheduled 4 p.m. encounter in order to gain a better seeding as the elimination round winds down to its last two weeks.
Clashing in the first game at 2 p.m. are University of Santo Tomas and National University.
With an 8-2 record, La Salle is hoping to catch up with bitter rival Ateneo for the top spot in the standings.
The Eagles boosted their bid for the No. 1 seeding with a 61-57 overtime win over University of the East on Thursday, a victory that improved their record to 10-1.
The Tamaraws, the No. 3 team with a 7-3 card, could tie the Archers with a victory.
Just like the Tamaraws and Archers, the Tigers are in dire need of a win to stay in contention for a berth in the semis. They are 1½ games behind the Red Warriors for the fourth and last semis spot.
La Salle coach Franz Pumaren sees another exciting showdown with FEU just like the first time they clashed in the tournament.
The Glenn Capacio-mentored Tamaraws, however, are coming off a 74-69 win over University of Santo Tomas also on Thursday, so Pumaren expects them to be on a war mode.
"It’s going to be tough, I think they are playing well despite being undermanned," said Pumaren. "They are playing with a lot of emotion because of what happened to (Mac) Baracael, so it’s going to be an important for us."
"Kung ganito lang ang nilalaro ng team walang problema sa next game," said Capacio. "But against La Salle, dapat consistent kami sa depensa (press break) namin kasi kapag nagka-turnover ka magkakaroon sila ng momentum."
The Tamaraws are hoping to avenge their 73-62 setback in the first hand.
The Archers will rely once more on veterans JV Casio and Rico Maierhofer while role players Peejay Barua, James Mangahas and rookie point guard LA Revilla are expected to provide the much-needed help.
Title contenders La Salle and Far Eastern University clash today in what could be the preview of their Final Four showdown in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the Philsports Arena.
The Green Archers and Tamaraws need a victory in their scheduled 4 p.m. encounter in order to gain a better seeding as the elimination round winds down to its last two weeks.
Clashing in the first game at 2 p.m. are University of Santo Tomas and National University.
With an 8-2 record, La Salle is hoping to catch up with bitter rival Ateneo for the top spot in the standings.
The Eagles boosted their bid for the No. 1 seeding with a 61-57 overtime win over University of the East on Thursday, a victory that improved their record to 10-1.
The Tamaraws, the No. 3 team with a 7-3 card, could tie the Archers with a victory.
Just like the Tamaraws and Archers, the Tigers are in dire need of a win to stay in contention for a berth in the semis. They are 1½ games behind the Red Warriors for the fourth and last semis spot.
La Salle coach Franz Pumaren sees another exciting showdown with FEU just like the first time they clashed in the tournament.
The Glenn Capacio-mentored Tamaraws, however, are coming off a 74-69 win over University of Santo Tomas also on Thursday, so Pumaren expects them to be on a war mode.
"It’s going to be tough, I think they are playing well despite being undermanned," said Pumaren. "They are playing with a lot of emotion because of what happened to (Mac) Baracael, so it’s going to be an important for us."
"Kung ganito lang ang nilalaro ng team walang problema sa next game," said Capacio. "But against La Salle, dapat consistent kami sa depensa (press break) namin kasi kapag nagka-turnover ka magkakaroon sila ng momentum."
The Tamaraws are hoping to avenge their 73-62 setback in the first hand.
The Archers will rely once more on veterans JV Casio and Rico Maierhofer while role players Peejay Barua, James Mangahas and rookie point guard LA Revilla are expected to provide the much-needed help.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Game Result: ADMU 61 - UE 57 (2nd Round)
ADMU Blue Eagles
61 Points
46 Rebounds
10 Assists
_6 Steals
_3 Blocks
19/66 (28.79%) FG
_4/18 (22.22%) 3P FG
19/25 (76.00%) FT
UE Red Warriors
57 Points
44 Rebounds
10 Assists
_6 Steals
_4 Blocks
24/71 (33.80%) FG
_7/18 (38.89%) 3P FG
_2/3_ (66.67%) FT
Quarters: 12-13, 21-22, 36-42, 50-8, 61-57
61 Points
46 Rebounds
10 Assists
_6 Steals
_3 Blocks
19/66 (28.79%) FG
_4/18 (22.22%) 3P FG
19/25 (76.00%) FT
UE Red Warriors
57 Points
44 Rebounds
10 Assists
_6 Steals
_4 Blocks
24/71 (33.80%) FG
_7/18 (38.89%) 3P FG
_2/3_ (66.67%) FT
Quarters: 12-13, 21-22, 36-42, 50-8, 61-57
Game Result: UP 73 - AdU 42 (2nd Round)
UP Fighting Maroons
73 Points
43 Rebounds
19 Assists
_4 Steals
_2 Blocks
30/68 (44.12%) FG
_9/21 (42.86%) 3P FG
_4/6_ (66.67%) FT
AdU Soaring Falcons
42 Points
40 Rebounds
10 Assists
_8 Steals
_4 Blocks
15/58 (25.86%) FG
_2/18 (11.11%) 3P FG
10/15 (66.67%) FT
Quarters: 17-10, 38-14, 54-19, 73-42
73 Points
43 Rebounds
19 Assists
_4 Steals
_2 Blocks
30/68 (44.12%) FG
_9/21 (42.86%) 3P FG
_4/6_ (66.67%) FT
AdU Soaring Falcons
42 Points
40 Rebounds
10 Assists
_8 Steals
_4 Blocks
15/58 (25.86%) FG
_2/18 (11.11%) 3P FG
10/15 (66.67%) FT
Quarters: 17-10, 38-14, 54-19, 73-42
Eagles soar to 10th win
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 22, 2008
Ateneo turned to veteran scorer Chris Tiu and rising star Ryan Buenafe when the game was on the line yesterday as the Blue Eagles escaped with a 61-57 decision over University of the East in overtime in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
Buenafe drove past Paul Lee with 21 seconds left in extra period to give Ateneo a 59-57 lead, then watched UE forward Elmer Espiritu make a bad shot in the ensuing play, sending Nonoy Baclao, Ateneo’s do-it-all forward, to go to the line and make two charities six seconds to go for the final count.
"That was a big shot by Ryan," Eagles mentor Norman Black said after the team boosted its record to 10-1. "Luckily, he came through for us in the end."
Tiu, in his last year at the Ateneo, sank a triple with 13.6 ticks remaining after eluding a double-team to freeze the count at 50-all at the end of regulation.
Black said tying the score was not his main priority.
"We were looking for him and we tried to give him the ball and give it back to him two to three times.
We wanted to go for a two-point shot if we get it off in the first five to six seconds and if we could not do that it would be a 24-second shot clock so we went for the tie and it worked well for us." "UE is one of the toughest teams we have faced and we consider them as one of the teams to beat so we really expected a tough game going here today," added Black.
Rabeh Al-Hussaini led the way for Ateneo with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Tiu banged in 18 markers, collared nine boards and three assists although they were no longer on the court in the endgame owing to cramps.
Rookie Paul Zamar topscored for UE with 13, while James Martinez netted 11 and Hans Thiele drilled in 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who slipped to 6-5.
In the first game, host University of the Philippines pounced on an Adamson squad that played without three players for a 73-42 win.
Main men Marc Agustin and Paul Gonzalgo and Allan Santos were benched for disciplinary reasons, sending the Falcons to their seventh straight setback.
Head coach Leo Austria politely declined to say why they were not given playing time.
The Maroons had the game in the bag after two quarters when they erected a 38-14 advantage and the lead even snowballed to 64-26 in the third canto as the Falcons could only come up with five points in that stretch.
Martin Reyes finished with 13 points, 10 of which in the first half, as the Fighting Maroons improved to 3-8.
"We didn’t expect to win this big," UP head coach Aboy Castro said.
Ateneo turned to veteran scorer Chris Tiu and rising star Ryan Buenafe when the game was on the line yesterday as the Blue Eagles escaped with a 61-57 decision over University of the East in overtime in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
Buenafe drove past Paul Lee with 21 seconds left in extra period to give Ateneo a 59-57 lead, then watched UE forward Elmer Espiritu make a bad shot in the ensuing play, sending Nonoy Baclao, Ateneo’s do-it-all forward, to go to the line and make two charities six seconds to go for the final count.
"That was a big shot by Ryan," Eagles mentor Norman Black said after the team boosted its record to 10-1. "Luckily, he came through for us in the end."
Tiu, in his last year at the Ateneo, sank a triple with 13.6 ticks remaining after eluding a double-team to freeze the count at 50-all at the end of regulation.
Black said tying the score was not his main priority.
"We were looking for him and we tried to give him the ball and give it back to him two to three times.
We wanted to go for a two-point shot if we get it off in the first five to six seconds and if we could not do that it would be a 24-second shot clock so we went for the tie and it worked well for us." "UE is one of the toughest teams we have faced and we consider them as one of the teams to beat so we really expected a tough game going here today," added Black.
Rabeh Al-Hussaini led the way for Ateneo with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Tiu banged in 18 markers, collared nine boards and three assists although they were no longer on the court in the endgame owing to cramps.
Rookie Paul Zamar topscored for UE with 13, while James Martinez netted 11 and Hans Thiele drilled in 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who slipped to 6-5.
In the first game, host University of the Philippines pounced on an Adamson squad that played without three players for a 73-42 win.
Main men Marc Agustin and Paul Gonzalgo and Allan Santos were benched for disciplinary reasons, sending the Falcons to their seventh straight setback.
Head coach Leo Austria politely declined to say why they were not given playing time.
The Maroons had the game in the bag after two quarters when they erected a 38-14 advantage and the lead even snowballed to 64-26 in the third canto as the Falcons could only come up with five points in that stretch.
Martin Reyes finished with 13 points, 10 of which in the first half, as the Fighting Maroons improved to 3-8.
"We didn’t expect to win this big," UP head coach Aboy Castro said.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Eagles eye to boost twice-to-beat bid
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 21, 2008While the rest of the teams are either trying to improve on their standings or jockeying for the Final 4 slots, Ateneo will be aiming to bolster its bid for a twice-to-beat advantage today as it battles University of the East in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Blue Eagles, whose 9-1 record formally gave them a spot in the next phase, are heavily-favored to claim their 10th win of the season against the Red Warriors.
The Loyola-based squad is a game ahead of La Salle, which sports an 8-2 win-loss card and already assured of at least a playoff for one of the four coveted seats.
But while Ateneo is already in the semifinals, Eagles tactician Norman Black is not about to relax.
"Our goal is to get to the top two but it doesn’t stop here," Black said. "We have to play hard and continue respecting our opponents because we have no time to relax."
In last Sunday’s win over Adamson, the duo of Rabeh Al-Hussaini and reserve guard Eric Salamat joined hands in dealing Adamson its eighth loss, 78-59, and their exploits will surely be on UE strategist Dindo Pumaren’s mind when they take to the court this afternoon. Al-Hussaini had 29 points while Salamat shot 17 against the Falcons.
Top player Chris Tiu, rookie Ryan Buenafe and workhorse Nonoy Baclao are also capable of taking the limelight in case Al-Hussaini and Salamat fail to light up the scoreboard.
The first time the two squads met last July 13, Ateneo ran away with a 64-58 victory with Al-Hussaini racking up 17 points and the same number of rebounds.
"We have to prepare against Rabeh because of the most the time they go to the post," said Pumaren.
Black believes UE is on a high following the Warriors’ massive 95-65 win over host University of the Philippines over the weekend.
"UE is playing a lot better," he said. "They looked impressive with the way they played defense and they seemed to have their rhythm back already."
Despite a smaller frontline, Pumaren will most likely tap the services of Elmer Espiritu, Hans Thiele, and Pari Llagas in order to neutralize Al-Hussaini.
But the peppery duo of James Martinez and Marcy Arellano will try to make up for UE’s lack of ceiling.
Meanwhile, cellar-dwellers UP and Adamson look to go one up on each other when they meet in the 2 p.m. opener.
Both teams enter the match trying to end their respective losing skids. The Fighting Maroons are on a three-game slide while the Falcons are on a six-game skid stretching back to the first round.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Game Result: FEU 74 vs UST 69 (2nd Round)
FEU Tamaraws
74 Points
42 Rebounds
17 Assists
_8 Steals
_7 Blocks
25/74 (33.78%) FG
_6/24 (25.00%) 3P FG
18/26 (69.23%) FT
UST Growling Tigers
69 Points
46 Rebounds
15 Assists
_3 Steals
_4 Blocks
22/62 (35.48%) FG
_6/19 (31.58%) 3P FG
19/29 (65.52%) FT
Quarters: 21-21, 31-39, 41-54, 60-60, 74-69
74 Points
42 Rebounds
17 Assists
_8 Steals
_7 Blocks
25/74 (33.78%) FG
_6/24 (25.00%) 3P FG
18/26 (69.23%) FT
UST Growling Tigers
69 Points
46 Rebounds
15 Assists
_3 Steals
_4 Blocks
22/62 (35.48%) FG
_6/19 (31.58%) 3P FG
19/29 (65.52%) FT
Quarters: 21-21, 31-39, 41-54, 60-60, 74-69
Game Result: ADMU 78 vs AdU 59 (2nd Round)
ADMU Blue Eagles
78 Points
33 Rebounds
20 Assists
_9 Steals
_4 Blocks
27/52 (51.92%) FG
_3/11 (27.27%) 3P FG
21/25 (84.00%) FT
AdU Soaring Falcons
59 Points
37 Rebounds
11 Assists
_9 Steals
_3 Blocks
23/66 (34.85%) FG
_1/8_ (12.50%) 3P FG
12/17 (70.59%) FT
Quarters: 26-13, 48-30, 74-45, 95-65
78 Points
33 Rebounds
20 Assists
_9 Steals
_4 Blocks
27/52 (51.92%) FG
_3/11 (27.27%) 3P FG
21/25 (84.00%) FT
AdU Soaring Falcons
59 Points
37 Rebounds
11 Assists
_9 Steals
_3 Blocks
23/66 (34.85%) FG
_1/8_ (12.50%) 3P FG
12/17 (70.59%) FT
Quarters: 26-13, 48-30, 74-45, 95-65
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Game Result: UE 95 vs UP 65 (2nd Round)
UE Red Warriors
79 Points
51 Rebounds
25 Assists
_8 Steals
_7 Blocks
35/78 (44.87%) FG
_7/23 (30.43%) 3P FG
18/28 (64.29%) FT
UP Fighting Maroons
65 Points
39 Rebounds
15 Assists
_6 Steals
_1 Blocks
25/67 (37.31%) FG
_5/19 (26.32%) 3P FG
10/18 (55.56%) FT
Quarters: 26-13, 48-30, 74-45, 95-65
79 Points
51 Rebounds
25 Assists
_8 Steals
_7 Blocks
35/78 (44.87%) FG
_7/23 (30.43%) 3P FG
18/28 (64.29%) FT
UP Fighting Maroons
65 Points
39 Rebounds
15 Assists
_6 Steals
_1 Blocks
25/67 (37.31%) FG
_5/19 (26.32%) 3P FG
10/18 (55.56%) FT
Quarters: 26-13, 48-30, 74-45, 95-65
Game Result: DLSU 79 vs NU 67 (2nd Round)
DLSU GReen Archers
79 Points
33 Rebounds
19 Assists
_8 Steals
_3 Blocks
30/68 (44.12%) FG
_8/21 (38.10%) 3P FG
11/16 (68.75%) FT
NU Bulldogs
67 Points
40 Rebounds
13 Assists
_5 Steals
_4 Blocks
22/55 (38.60%) FG
_6/25 (24.00%) 3P FG
17/24 (70.83%) FT
Quarters: 19-22, 31-42, 62-51, 79-67
79 Points
33 Rebounds
19 Assists
_8 Steals
_3 Blocks
30/68 (44.12%) FG
_8/21 (38.10%) 3P FG
11/16 (68.75%) FT
NU Bulldogs
67 Points
40 Rebounds
13 Assists
_5 Steals
_4 Blocks
22/55 (38.60%) FG
_6/25 (24.00%) 3P FG
17/24 (70.83%) FT
Quarters: 19-22, 31-42, 62-51, 79-67
Archers waylay Bulldogs
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 17, 2008
Defending champion La Salle thought that all it had to do to win against National University was to show up.
The Green Archers found out yesterday that it would need more than that as they had to bank on veteran guard JV Casio’s timely hits in the second half to pull off a 79-67 victory over the Bulldogs in the 71st UAAP basketball wars at the PhilSports Arena.
Casio exploded for 15 points in the final 20 minutes of play, including nine in the third quarter that helped lift La Salle to a 48-46 lead, 4:17 remaining in the third frame.
"The players probably thought that with NU’s record, they (Bulldogs) will just give the game to us," said La Salle coach Franz Pumaren, who had earlier watched in dismay as the Bulldogs raced to a 36-21 advantage in the second quarter.
"That’s the reason why the players played aggressively in the second quarter," said Pumaren.
The win boosted La Salle’s win-loss mark to 8-2, just half a game behind league-leading Ateneo, while the loss dropped NU to 2-8.
After Casio’s scoring spree, the Archers zoomed to a 76-61 lead behind Hyram Bagatsing and James Mangahas, who each made a triple, and Indonesian center Ferdinand, who rattled the rim off LA Revilla’s pass.
Casio led all scorers with 22 markers, while Peejay Barua drilled in 14, including 11 in the first half. Revilla chipped in eight and four feeds off the bench.
Edwin Asoro led the Bulldogs with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Raymund Aguilar and Jonathan Jahnke chipping 11 and 10 points, respectively.
In the second game, University of the East (UE) crushed University of the Philippines, 95-65, for the Red Warriors’ first back-to-back victories since winning their first two games of the season.
Marcy Arellano starred for UE with 23 points, 21 of which coming in the first half alone, while adding five rebounds and six assists in 23 minutes in his best game of the season.
"First time this season maganda ang laro ni Marcy," said UE head coach Dindo Pumaren. "Sana tuloy tuloy na siya, he played good defense at same time ‘yung offense niya dumating, he’s struggling the whole first round, may mga spurts lang siya but maganda nilaro niya."
Toto Bandaying and Pari Llagas made 11 points apiece while Hans Thiele finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
UE started with a 15-2 lead before grabbing a commanding 48-30 lead at the half. The Warriors then led by 30 or more points on several occasions during the late stretches of the match to seal the win.
The win enabled the Warriors to gain a 1 ½ game lead over University of Santo Tomas for the last spot in the Final Four.
"Basta kami we’re not concerned dun sa likod namin yung sa taas ang hinahabol namin," said Pumaren.
Paul Sorongon and Jay Agbayani led State U with 17 points each as UP fell further in the cellar with a 2-8 record to tie National University.
UE’s win was their fourth straight against UP, all by a combined margin of 130 points.
NU started off strong by scoring the game’s first nine points and eventually grabbed an 11-2 lead.
But the Green Archers outscored them, 15-5, to take the lead only for the Sampaloc-based cagers to unleash a 20-4 blast for a commanding 36-21 edge off baskets by Asoro and Jonathan Jahnke.
"I told them at halftime that we were running away from what we were supposed to do.," said Pumaren, who will miss the last three games of the season due to his coaching commitments with the Philippine team in the FIBA-Asia Youth Championships in Tehran, Iran.
"Like what I’m stressing to my players, we’re only good when we play within the system," added Pumaren.
In the second game, University of the East (UE) crushed University of the Philippines, 95-65, for the Red Warriors’ first back-to-back victories since winning their first two games of the season.
Defending champion La Salle thought that all it had to do to win against National University was to show up.
The Green Archers found out yesterday that it would need more than that as they had to bank on veteran guard JV Casio’s timely hits in the second half to pull off a 79-67 victory over the Bulldogs in the 71st UAAP basketball wars at the PhilSports Arena.
Casio exploded for 15 points in the final 20 minutes of play, including nine in the third quarter that helped lift La Salle to a 48-46 lead, 4:17 remaining in the third frame.
"The players probably thought that with NU’s record, they (Bulldogs) will just give the game to us," said La Salle coach Franz Pumaren, who had earlier watched in dismay as the Bulldogs raced to a 36-21 advantage in the second quarter.
"That’s the reason why the players played aggressively in the second quarter," said Pumaren.
The win boosted La Salle’s win-loss mark to 8-2, just half a game behind league-leading Ateneo, while the loss dropped NU to 2-8.
After Casio’s scoring spree, the Archers zoomed to a 76-61 lead behind Hyram Bagatsing and James Mangahas, who each made a triple, and Indonesian center Ferdinand, who rattled the rim off LA Revilla’s pass.
Casio led all scorers with 22 markers, while Peejay Barua drilled in 14, including 11 in the first half. Revilla chipped in eight and four feeds off the bench.
Edwin Asoro led the Bulldogs with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Raymund Aguilar and Jonathan Jahnke chipping 11 and 10 points, respectively.
In the second game, University of the East (UE) crushed University of the Philippines, 95-65, for the Red Warriors’ first back-to-back victories since winning their first two games of the season.
Marcy Arellano starred for UE with 23 points, 21 of which coming in the first half alone, while adding five rebounds and six assists in 23 minutes in his best game of the season.
"First time this season maganda ang laro ni Marcy," said UE head coach Dindo Pumaren. "Sana tuloy tuloy na siya, he played good defense at same time ‘yung offense niya dumating, he’s struggling the whole first round, may mga spurts lang siya but maganda nilaro niya."
Toto Bandaying and Pari Llagas made 11 points apiece while Hans Thiele finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
UE started with a 15-2 lead before grabbing a commanding 48-30 lead at the half. The Warriors then led by 30 or more points on several occasions during the late stretches of the match to seal the win.
The win enabled the Warriors to gain a 1 ½ game lead over University of Santo Tomas for the last spot in the Final Four.
"Basta kami we’re not concerned dun sa likod namin yung sa taas ang hinahabol namin," said Pumaren.
Paul Sorongon and Jay Agbayani led State U with 17 points each as UP fell further in the cellar with a 2-8 record to tie National University.
UE’s win was their fourth straight against UP, all by a combined margin of 130 points.
NU started off strong by scoring the game’s first nine points and eventually grabbed an 11-2 lead.
But the Green Archers outscored them, 15-5, to take the lead only for the Sampaloc-based cagers to unleash a 20-4 blast for a commanding 36-21 edge off baskets by Asoro and Jonathan Jahnke.
"I told them at halftime that we were running away from what we were supposed to do.," said Pumaren, who will miss the last three games of the season due to his coaching commitments with the Philippine team in the FIBA-Asia Youth Championships in Tehran, Iran.
"Like what I’m stressing to my players, we’re only good when we play within the system," added Pumaren.
In the second game, University of the East (UE) crushed University of the Philippines, 95-65, for the Red Warriors’ first back-to-back victories since winning their first two games of the season.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
DLSU, UE resume drive
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 16, 2008
Defending champion La Salle and University of the East resume their Final Four drive when they go up against separate rivals in the UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena today.
The Green Archers collide with the National University Bulldogs in the opener at 2 p.m. while the Red Warriors tackle the slumping University of the Philippines Maroons at 4 p.m.
La Salle is a game behind Ateneo with a 7-2 record but is expected to close the gap at the end of the day. The Eagles are sporting an 8-1 card.
But La Salle mentor Franz Pumaren is wary about the possibility of NU scoring another upset.
"We cannot take them for granted as we all know they (Bulldogs) spoiled Ateneo’s bid last year and our main objective is to win as many games as possible," said Pumaren.
If they’re all healthy, the Bulldogs are capable of scoring another upset just like what they did against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws whom they beat, 69-61, at the end of the first round last Aug. 3.
They also managed to get back at the Maroons, 72-59, before injuries to key players wrought havoc on their bid against the Warriors last week and suffered a crushing 67-50 beating.
Jonathan Jahnke and Jessey Garcia are not likely to suit up today due to various injuries.
The wily Jahnke, the team’s third leading scorer with 9.0 points per game suffered a hip injury in the second quarter against UE while Garcia injured his head and neck after a collision with Marcy Arellano on a fastbreak play.
Pumaren is again expected to rely on Rico Maierhofer, who came off the bench to score 19 points and 13 rebounds in the team’s 81-61 win over UP on Aug. 10.
Also expected to play key roles in the team are JV Casio, James Mangahas and Peejay Barua.
It was Barua who starred for DLSU’s 93-69 thrashing of NU in the first round after scoring 26 points.
NU’s Edwin Asoro, Raymund Aguilar, and Jewel Ponferrada have to pick up the scoring slack in the event Jahnke and Garcia will not see action.
With a 5-4 card, the Warriors have to win again over the Maroons to improve their semis bid. A win will put the Warriors a game-and-a-half ahead of the Tigers.
Aside from Arellano, UE coach Dindo Pumaren can again rely on the services of Elmer Espiritu, Hans Thiele, and James Martinez.
Defending champion La Salle and University of the East resume their Final Four drive when they go up against separate rivals in the UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena today.
The Green Archers collide with the National University Bulldogs in the opener at 2 p.m. while the Red Warriors tackle the slumping University of the Philippines Maroons at 4 p.m.
La Salle is a game behind Ateneo with a 7-2 record but is expected to close the gap at the end of the day. The Eagles are sporting an 8-1 card.
But La Salle mentor Franz Pumaren is wary about the possibility of NU scoring another upset.
"We cannot take them for granted as we all know they (Bulldogs) spoiled Ateneo’s bid last year and our main objective is to win as many games as possible," said Pumaren.
If they’re all healthy, the Bulldogs are capable of scoring another upset just like what they did against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws whom they beat, 69-61, at the end of the first round last Aug. 3.
They also managed to get back at the Maroons, 72-59, before injuries to key players wrought havoc on their bid against the Warriors last week and suffered a crushing 67-50 beating.
Jonathan Jahnke and Jessey Garcia are not likely to suit up today due to various injuries.
The wily Jahnke, the team’s third leading scorer with 9.0 points per game suffered a hip injury in the second quarter against UE while Garcia injured his head and neck after a collision with Marcy Arellano on a fastbreak play.
Pumaren is again expected to rely on Rico Maierhofer, who came off the bench to score 19 points and 13 rebounds in the team’s 81-61 win over UP on Aug. 10.
Also expected to play key roles in the team are JV Casio, James Mangahas and Peejay Barua.
It was Barua who starred for DLSU’s 93-69 thrashing of NU in the first round after scoring 26 points.
NU’s Edwin Asoro, Raymund Aguilar, and Jewel Ponferrada have to pick up the scoring slack in the event Jahnke and Garcia will not see action.
With a 5-4 card, the Warriors have to win again over the Maroons to improve their semis bid. A win will put the Warriors a game-and-a-half ahead of the Tigers.
Aside from Arellano, UE coach Dindo Pumaren can again rely on the services of Elmer Espiritu, Hans Thiele, and James Martinez.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Game Result: ADMU 85 vs UST 76 (2nd Round)
ADMU Blue Eagles
85 Points
29 Rebounds
17 Assists
_5 Steals
_6 Blocks
29/59 (49.15%) FG
_7/17 (41.18%) 3P FG
UST Growling Tigers
76 Points
45 Rebounds
13 Assists
_3 Steals
_2 Blocks
26/67 (38.81%) FG
_5/19 (26.32%) 3P FG
Quarters: 20-11, 38-35, 63-55, 85-76
85 Points
29 Rebounds
17 Assists
_5 Steals
_6 Blocks
29/59 (49.15%) FG
_7/17 (41.18%) 3P FG
UST Growling Tigers
76 Points
45 Rebounds
13 Assists
_3 Steals
_2 Blocks
26/67 (38.81%) FG
_5/19 (26.32%) 3P FG
Quarters: 20-11, 38-35, 63-55, 85-76
Game Result: FEU 70 vs AdU 62 (2nd Round)
FEU Tamaraws
70 Points
44 Rebounds
18 Assists
_5 Steals
_5 Blocks
26/69 (37.68%) FG
_6/21 (25.57%) 3P FG
AdU Soaring Falcons
62 Points
39 Rebounds
14 Assists
_3 Steal
_6 Blocks
22/63 (34.92%) FG
_2/14 (14.29%) 3P FG
Quarters: 16-11, 32-30, 59-45, 70-62
70 Points
44 Rebounds
18 Assists
_5 Steals
_5 Blocks
26/69 (37.68%) FG
_6/21 (25.57%) 3P FG
AdU Soaring Falcons
62 Points
39 Rebounds
14 Assists
_3 Steal
_6 Blocks
22/63 (34.92%) FG
_2/14 (14.29%) 3P FG
Quarters: 16-11, 32-30, 59-45, 70-62
Eagles claw Tigers anew
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 15, 2008
Not even the thunderstorm could cool off Ateneo star Chris Tiu yesterday.
In what could be his finest game in a stellar collegiate career, Tiu sizzled for a career-high 29 points as Ateneo blew past University of Santo Tomas, 85-76, to boost its Final Four bid in the UAAP basketball tournament on a wet day at the Philsports Arena.
The 5-foot-11 Tiu highlighted his game-long brilliance with three triples aside from posting a near-perfect 14-of-15 shooting from the free throw area to help the Eagles notch their 8th win in 9 games.
In the first game, Far Eastern University snapped a two-game losing streak behind Marlon Adolfo’s second-half explosion to beat Adamson University, 70-62.
Adolfo scattered 15 of his 18 points in the last two quarters as the Tamaraws erected a 14-point lead en route to their 6th win in 9 starts.
For the second time, Rabeh Al-Hussaini outshone reigning MVP and UST counterpart Jervy Cruz as the 6-foot-6 center tallied 24 points and five rebounds.
"Our top two players really played well, they really made some crucial shots in the end," said Ateneo coach Norman Black. "UST still hurt us on the boards but we were able to shoot a high percentage from the floor which really helped us out."
Black, however, remained cautious about their efforts before the end of the season.
"The key is that we understand that we are the best team but we have to play our A game every time, it’s not time for us to be confident," said Black. "Our aim is to get into the Final Four and play our best game come September."
To underscore his strength down low, Al-Hussaini converted 10 consecutive points at one point as Ateneo eventually took a 63-55 lead in the third while Tiu had 11 in the final canto, most of them from the stripe as the the Blue Eagles took a 75-62 edge.
That run was aided by a triple from Eric Salamat with 2:21 left in the game.
Salamat, still hampered by a discolated jaw, made 14 points in 21 minutes off the bench.
Cruz, the reigning Most Valuable Player, finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds, 13 of which came in the first half. Dylan Ababou finished with 17 points but missed four shots from the three-point arc with rookie Clark Bautista nailing 12 markers.
Ateneo grabbed an early 24-11 lead in the second quarter but Cruz and Ababou to combine for 18 points in the second quarter to cut the margin to 38-35 at halftime.
Adolfo, also hauled down 10 rebounds in his 29 minutes of action.
"Natutuwa ako at nagstep-up siya (Adolfo) bilang big man dahil ang daming foul trouble ng mga big men ko," FEU coach Glenn Capacio said.
Benedict Fernandez chipped in 14 points –all in the second half – while pointguard Mark Barroca added 13 markers.
FEU led 32-30 at halftime behind Barroca’s 10 points, but Adolfo and Fernandez conspired for 23 points for a 59-45 advantage in the third.
Adamson fell into a three-way tie for last place with NU and University of the Philippines with similar 2-7 cards.
Mike Galinato led Adamson with 12 points while Colina finished with a double-double of 10 markers and 11 boards.
Not even the thunderstorm could cool off Ateneo star Chris Tiu yesterday.
In what could be his finest game in a stellar collegiate career, Tiu sizzled for a career-high 29 points as Ateneo blew past University of Santo Tomas, 85-76, to boost its Final Four bid in the UAAP basketball tournament on a wet day at the Philsports Arena.
The 5-foot-11 Tiu highlighted his game-long brilliance with three triples aside from posting a near-perfect 14-of-15 shooting from the free throw area to help the Eagles notch their 8th win in 9 games.
In the first game, Far Eastern University snapped a two-game losing streak behind Marlon Adolfo’s second-half explosion to beat Adamson University, 70-62.
Adolfo scattered 15 of his 18 points in the last two quarters as the Tamaraws erected a 14-point lead en route to their 6th win in 9 starts.
For the second time, Rabeh Al-Hussaini outshone reigning MVP and UST counterpart Jervy Cruz as the 6-foot-6 center tallied 24 points and five rebounds.
"Our top two players really played well, they really made some crucial shots in the end," said Ateneo coach Norman Black. "UST still hurt us on the boards but we were able to shoot a high percentage from the floor which really helped us out."
Black, however, remained cautious about their efforts before the end of the season.
"The key is that we understand that we are the best team but we have to play our A game every time, it’s not time for us to be confident," said Black. "Our aim is to get into the Final Four and play our best game come September."
To underscore his strength down low, Al-Hussaini converted 10 consecutive points at one point as Ateneo eventually took a 63-55 lead in the third while Tiu had 11 in the final canto, most of them from the stripe as the the Blue Eagles took a 75-62 edge.
That run was aided by a triple from Eric Salamat with 2:21 left in the game.
Salamat, still hampered by a discolated jaw, made 14 points in 21 minutes off the bench.
Cruz, the reigning Most Valuable Player, finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds, 13 of which came in the first half. Dylan Ababou finished with 17 points but missed four shots from the three-point arc with rookie Clark Bautista nailing 12 markers.
Ateneo grabbed an early 24-11 lead in the second quarter but Cruz and Ababou to combine for 18 points in the second quarter to cut the margin to 38-35 at halftime.
Adolfo, also hauled down 10 rebounds in his 29 minutes of action.
"Natutuwa ako at nagstep-up siya (Adolfo) bilang big man dahil ang daming foul trouble ng mga big men ko," FEU coach Glenn Capacio said.
Benedict Fernandez chipped in 14 points –all in the second half – while pointguard Mark Barroca added 13 markers.
FEU led 32-30 at halftime behind Barroca’s 10 points, but Adolfo and Fernandez conspired for 23 points for a 59-45 advantage in the third.
Adamson fell into a three-way tie for last place with NU and University of the Philippines with similar 2-7 cards.
Mike Galinato led Adamson with 12 points while Colina finished with a double-double of 10 markers and 11 boards.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Ateneo eyes win No. 8
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 14, 2008
Ateneo tries to boost its Final Four bid when it battles University of Santo Tomas even as Far Eastern University hopes to get back into the winning track today in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the Philsports Arena.
The Blue Eagles improved their record to 7-1 after getting back at the Tamaraws, 78-74, last Sunday, in a performance that would serve them well when they clash with the Tigers at 4 p.m.
"I’m expecting that we probably play a lot better," Black said. "We don’t seem to play very well when we have a one week break which we just had so it’s just nice to be able to have a game after last Sunday."
Clashing in the opening game at 2 p.m. are the Tamaraws and the Adamson Falcons with the Morayta-based squad aching to end a two-game slump after winning five of their first six games.
Black expects another tough and exciting battle with the Tigers whom they beat 64-57 in the first round.
Team captain Chris Tiu and reserve guard Eric Salamat are expected to show their stuff anew together with Rookie of the Year favorite Ryan Buenafe.
On the other side, UST mentor Pido Jarencio is hoping that his team can pull off an upset this time against the Eagles.
"Sana maka-tsamba," said Jarencio. "Alam naman natin ang Ateneo malakas this year."
With point guard Japs Cuan back in harness after suffering a torn meniscus, UST will have a complete lineup against the Eagles this time.
Dylan Ababou is out to redeem himself from a miserable shooting performance in their first meeting while Francis Allera and Khasim Mirza are aching to have stellar roles anew.
Expected to provide a subplot is the showdown between reigning MVP Jervy Cruz of UST and Rabeh Al-Hussaini of Ateneo in the shaded area.
Just like the 6-foot-4 Ababou, Cruz is also expected to go all-out after being held to just eight points and 15 boards in their first-round encounter. Cruz was brilliant in the team’s 97-83 win over the Falcons last Sunday as he tallied 29 points and 15 rebounds.
"He’s the MVP, he’s unstoppable, last time we were able to stop him and we just imagine that he has a lot of revenge coming into his mind," Black said of Cruz.
Ateneo tries to boost its Final Four bid when it battles University of Santo Tomas even as Far Eastern University hopes to get back into the winning track today in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the Philsports Arena.
The Blue Eagles improved their record to 7-1 after getting back at the Tamaraws, 78-74, last Sunday, in a performance that would serve them well when they clash with the Tigers at 4 p.m.
"I’m expecting that we probably play a lot better," Black said. "We don’t seem to play very well when we have a one week break which we just had so it’s just nice to be able to have a game after last Sunday."
Clashing in the opening game at 2 p.m. are the Tamaraws and the Adamson Falcons with the Morayta-based squad aching to end a two-game slump after winning five of their first six games.
Black expects another tough and exciting battle with the Tigers whom they beat 64-57 in the first round.
Team captain Chris Tiu and reserve guard Eric Salamat are expected to show their stuff anew together with Rookie of the Year favorite Ryan Buenafe.
On the other side, UST mentor Pido Jarencio is hoping that his team can pull off an upset this time against the Eagles.
"Sana maka-tsamba," said Jarencio. "Alam naman natin ang Ateneo malakas this year."
With point guard Japs Cuan back in harness after suffering a torn meniscus, UST will have a complete lineup against the Eagles this time.
Dylan Ababou is out to redeem himself from a miserable shooting performance in their first meeting while Francis Allera and Khasim Mirza are aching to have stellar roles anew.
Expected to provide a subplot is the showdown between reigning MVP Jervy Cruz of UST and Rabeh Al-Hussaini of Ateneo in the shaded area.
Just like the 6-foot-4 Ababou, Cruz is also expected to go all-out after being held to just eight points and 15 boards in their first-round encounter. Cruz was brilliant in the team’s 97-83 win over the Falcons last Sunday as he tallied 29 points and 15 rebounds.
"He’s the MVP, he’s unstoppable, last time we were able to stop him and we just imagine that he has a lot of revenge coming into his mind," Black said of Cruz.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Archers demolish Maroons
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 11, 2008
Reigning champion De La Salle shook off a slow start to beat University of the Philppines, 81-61, and firm up its hold of second place in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena.
Rico Maierhofer came off the bench to score 19 points as the Archers, who also drew big games from the usually reliable JV Casio, James Mangahas and Peejay Barua, improved their record to 7-2.
The 6-foot-6 Maierhofer also grabbed 13 rebounds in 22 minutes of action while Casio and Mangahas chipped in 17 and 16 points, respectively. Barua tallied 10 markers.
In the second game, University of the East went full throttle in the final half to crush National University, 67-50.
Former PBL slam-dunk champion Elmer Espiritu and Hans Thiele led the Red Warriors’ charge, scoring 13 and 11 points, most of them in the last two frames to pull away from a tight first half action.
The 6-foot-5 Thiele and 6-foot-4 Espiritu combined for 27 boards as the Warriors improved to 5-4.
With the score tied at 19 at halftime, the Warriors broke the game wide apart by unloading 16 straight points. They even padded their lead to 20 late in the payoff period.
"We were too tight in the first half but naging relaxed sila in the second half," said UE coach Dindo Pumaren. "The difference of this game and the last was nakagawa kami ng mga stops unlike noong last game."
La Salle led by only four points at halftime before Maierhofer and Mangahas combined for 14 points to stretch their lead to 59-48.
Barua also contributed eight in the final period to complete the dominating performance in the final half.
"Actually it’s not the start that we really wanted to achieve, we were flat from the start, we just came off a tough game against UE. It’s a good thing that the veterans took over the game," said La Salle coach Franz Pumaren.
Martin Reyes led UP in a losing effort with 21 points and five rebounds with Woody Co and Jay Agbayani nailing nine markers apiece.
The Maroons, this year’s hosts, fell to 2-7.
Trailing 7-5 early in the game, the Archers made a 14-2 blast with Maierhofer scoring the last 10 to take a 19-9 first quarter advantage.
The Maroons rallied to within 30-34 as Co and Reyes combined for 13 points. Kevin Astorga and Magi Sison also contributed in the second quarter to make the contest look exciting.
But the excitement UP supporters had hoped never materialized as Maierhofer and company started to impose their will. Maierhofer highlighted his impressive performance by making two of three tries from the three-point area.
Reigning champion De La Salle shook off a slow start to beat University of the Philppines, 81-61, and firm up its hold of second place in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena.
Rico Maierhofer came off the bench to score 19 points as the Archers, who also drew big games from the usually reliable JV Casio, James Mangahas and Peejay Barua, improved their record to 7-2.
The 6-foot-6 Maierhofer also grabbed 13 rebounds in 22 minutes of action while Casio and Mangahas chipped in 17 and 16 points, respectively. Barua tallied 10 markers.
In the second game, University of the East went full throttle in the final half to crush National University, 67-50.
Former PBL slam-dunk champion Elmer Espiritu and Hans Thiele led the Red Warriors’ charge, scoring 13 and 11 points, most of them in the last two frames to pull away from a tight first half action.
The 6-foot-5 Thiele and 6-foot-4 Espiritu combined for 27 boards as the Warriors improved to 5-4.
With the score tied at 19 at halftime, the Warriors broke the game wide apart by unloading 16 straight points. They even padded their lead to 20 late in the payoff period.
"We were too tight in the first half but naging relaxed sila in the second half," said UE coach Dindo Pumaren. "The difference of this game and the last was nakagawa kami ng mga stops unlike noong last game."
La Salle led by only four points at halftime before Maierhofer and Mangahas combined for 14 points to stretch their lead to 59-48.
Barua also contributed eight in the final period to complete the dominating performance in the final half.
"Actually it’s not the start that we really wanted to achieve, we were flat from the start, we just came off a tough game against UE. It’s a good thing that the veterans took over the game," said La Salle coach Franz Pumaren.
Martin Reyes led UP in a losing effort with 21 points and five rebounds with Woody Co and Jay Agbayani nailing nine markers apiece.
The Maroons, this year’s hosts, fell to 2-7.
Trailing 7-5 early in the game, the Archers made a 14-2 blast with Maierhofer scoring the last 10 to take a 19-9 first quarter advantage.
The Maroons rallied to within 30-34 as Co and Reyes combined for 13 points. Kevin Astorga and Magi Sison also contributed in the second quarter to make the contest look exciting.
But the excitement UP supporters had hoped never materialized as Maierhofer and company started to impose their will. Maierhofer highlighted his impressive performance by making two of three tries from the three-point area.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sweet revenge for Blue Eagles
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 10, 2008
Ateneo survived a late rally by Far Eastern University to eke out a vengeful 78-74 win and remain on top in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena.
The Blue Eagles pulled away in the second half with a huge 15-point cushion before warding off a late rally by the Tamaraws down the stretch to improve their win-loss record to 7-1.
"We really concentrated on our defensive rebounds because we gave FEU a lot of offensive rebounds," said Ateneo coach Norman Black. "They made a rally but luckily we have enough energy to hang on and get the win."
In the first game, University of Santo Tomas rode on the heroics of Jervy Cruz to open its second round assignments with a 97-83 victory over the struggling Adamson University.
Cruz, the reigning Most Valuable Player and the top player in the statistical points race after the first round, scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as he led four Tigers in double figures.
Eric Salamat, who dislocated his jaw in their victory against UST last Sunday, had a strong game off the bench for Ateneo with 18 points as he hit of 4-of-5 from way beyond the arc.
Chris Tiu and Rabeh Al-Hussaini contributed 16 points each while rookie sensation Ryan Buenafe chipped in 10 markers.
Salamat, a former San Sebastian Staglet, hit 10 points in a huge 15-3 blast bridging the third and fourth periods as Ateneo grabbed a commanding 67-52 lead with 8:10 left in the game.
But FEU made a huge run towards the end as Benedict Fernandez and Mark Barroca joined forces to cut Ateneo’s lead down to just two, 76-74, with 1:03 remaining.
However, Al-Hussaini scored off Riel Cervantes at the post with 51.9 ticks to go to seal the final score.
Cervantes led the Tamaraws with 14 points and six rebounds as they dropped their second straight game to fall to 5-3. Paul Sanga and Fernandez made 13 and 11 points apiece.
Ateneo erased a 27-19 deficit to take a 36-33 halftime margin off a triple by Jai Reyes at the buzzer.
The victory allowed UST to tie University of the East in the fourth spot with similar 4-4 win-loss record.
Mark Canlas chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds while Clark Bautista had another sterling performance with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the three-point area.
"Dalawa lang naman sinabi ko sa mga bata, desire tapos yung commitment. Talagang dapat every game ibigay nila lahat, kapag meron yung tingin ko matibay kami kaya from the start pa lang aggressive kami," UST mentor Pido Jarencio said .
Meanwhile, defending champion De La Salle-Zobel stretched its unbeaten streak in juniors hostilities by defeating UST, 65-56, at the Blue Eagle gym.
Nico Elorde and Luis dela Paz led the Bengals with 14 and 13 points, respectively, while Matthew Capacio tallied 12 points and eight rebounds as DLSZ extended its win run to 8.
In the other juniors’ contest, National University defeated winless UPIS, 75-69, to improve to a 3-5 slate while handing the Pages their eighth straight setback.
UST took its biggest lead of the game at 20 points, 32-12, during the second quarter.
Cruz hit 12 markers in the first half to help the Tigers grab the comfortable 44-29 halftime lead.
But the Falcons slowly trimmed down the lead to five, 49-44, as Jerick Canada hit a fastbreak layup with 6:14 to go in the third frame.
The Espana-based dribblers, however, countered with an 11-3 run which was capped by Bautista’s triple to push the Falcons back in a shouting distance, 60-47, with 3:52 left.
While Adamson pulled closer at the end of the third, 70-61, the Tigers sealed the win as Cruz scored 11 points while Canlas tallied six markers in that final canto.
Big man Jan Colina and Paul Gonzalgo led the chare with 20 points apiece while Canada produced 15 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists for the Falcons who dropped to 2-4 to join host University of the Philippines and National University at the cellar.
UST point guard Japs Cuan played his first game since suffering a torn meniscus and made two points in eight minutes.
Ateneo survived a late rally by Far Eastern University to eke out a vengeful 78-74 win and remain on top in the 71st UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena.
The Blue Eagles pulled away in the second half with a huge 15-point cushion before warding off a late rally by the Tamaraws down the stretch to improve their win-loss record to 7-1.
"We really concentrated on our defensive rebounds because we gave FEU a lot of offensive rebounds," said Ateneo coach Norman Black. "They made a rally but luckily we have enough energy to hang on and get the win."
In the first game, University of Santo Tomas rode on the heroics of Jervy Cruz to open its second round assignments with a 97-83 victory over the struggling Adamson University.
Cruz, the reigning Most Valuable Player and the top player in the statistical points race after the first round, scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as he led four Tigers in double figures.
Eric Salamat, who dislocated his jaw in their victory against UST last Sunday, had a strong game off the bench for Ateneo with 18 points as he hit of 4-of-5 from way beyond the arc.
Chris Tiu and Rabeh Al-Hussaini contributed 16 points each while rookie sensation Ryan Buenafe chipped in 10 markers.
Salamat, a former San Sebastian Staglet, hit 10 points in a huge 15-3 blast bridging the third and fourth periods as Ateneo grabbed a commanding 67-52 lead with 8:10 left in the game.
But FEU made a huge run towards the end as Benedict Fernandez and Mark Barroca joined forces to cut Ateneo’s lead down to just two, 76-74, with 1:03 remaining.
However, Al-Hussaini scored off Riel Cervantes at the post with 51.9 ticks to go to seal the final score.
Cervantes led the Tamaraws with 14 points and six rebounds as they dropped their second straight game to fall to 5-3. Paul Sanga and Fernandez made 13 and 11 points apiece.
Ateneo erased a 27-19 deficit to take a 36-33 halftime margin off a triple by Jai Reyes at the buzzer.
The victory allowed UST to tie University of the East in the fourth spot with similar 4-4 win-loss record.
Mark Canlas chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds while Clark Bautista had another sterling performance with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the three-point area.
"Dalawa lang naman sinabi ko sa mga bata, desire tapos yung commitment. Talagang dapat every game ibigay nila lahat, kapag meron yung tingin ko matibay kami kaya from the start pa lang aggressive kami," UST mentor Pido Jarencio said .
Meanwhile, defending champion De La Salle-Zobel stretched its unbeaten streak in juniors hostilities by defeating UST, 65-56, at the Blue Eagle gym.
Nico Elorde and Luis dela Paz led the Bengals with 14 and 13 points, respectively, while Matthew Capacio tallied 12 points and eight rebounds as DLSZ extended its win run to 8.
In the other juniors’ contest, National University defeated winless UPIS, 75-69, to improve to a 3-5 slate while handing the Pages their eighth straight setback.
UST took its biggest lead of the game at 20 points, 32-12, during the second quarter.
Cruz hit 12 markers in the first half to help the Tigers grab the comfortable 44-29 halftime lead.
But the Falcons slowly trimmed down the lead to five, 49-44, as Jerick Canada hit a fastbreak layup with 6:14 to go in the third frame.
The Espana-based dribblers, however, countered with an 11-3 run which was capped by Bautista’s triple to push the Falcons back in a shouting distance, 60-47, with 3:52 left.
While Adamson pulled closer at the end of the third, 70-61, the Tigers sealed the win as Cruz scored 11 points while Canlas tallied six markers in that final canto.
Big man Jan Colina and Paul Gonzalgo led the chare with 20 points apiece while Canada produced 15 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists for the Falcons who dropped to 2-4 to join host University of the Philippines and National University at the cellar.
UST point guard Japs Cuan played his first game since suffering a torn meniscus and made two points in eight minutes.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Eagles try to get back at Tamaraws
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 9, 2008
Last Thursday, defending champion La Salle and National University got back at their first round tormentors.
League-leading Ateneo hopes to do the same today against Far Eastern University as the Eagles seek to boost their Final Four bid in the UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena.
The Blue Eagles were denied of a first-round sweep after losing to the Tamaraws, 72-66, last July 31. But they hope to erase that stigma when they clash with the Tamaraws at 4 p.m.
The Archers beat the University of the East Warriors, 70-62, while the Bulldogs ripped the University of the Philippines Maroons, 72-59.
Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas hopes to start its second round campaign on a winning note when it tangles with Adamson University in the 2 p.m. opener.
In FEU’s win over Ateneo, coach Glenn Capacio leaned on big men Riel Cervantes, Aldrech Ramos and Benedict Fernandez who came through with clutch plays to frustrate the Eagles’ sweep bid.
It also negated the monster game of Rabeh Al-Hussaini, who finished with 33 points and 22 rebounds.
Coach Norman Black is expected to make key adjustments to exact sweet revenge.
"We just lost to them, it’s quite fresh in our minds so after the first round we started preparing for this game," Black said.
Aside from Al-Hussaini, who was running second in the statistical points race after the first round, Ateneo will also rely on Chris Tiu, Noy Baclao, and Eric Salamat.
FEU, for its part, hopes to bounce back from a stinging loss to erstwhile winless National University, 69-61.
Meantime, the Tigers relied on leading scorer Dylan Ababou and rookie Clark Bautista to score an 86-80 overtime win over the Falcons.
Despite getting a good review before the start of the tournament, the Tigers could only post a 3-4 record at the end of the first round. They are coming off a 64-57 defeat to Ateneo last Sunday.
Aside from Ababou, Jervy Cruz, last year’s MVP and Francis Allera have to play hard and connect to beat the Falcons again.
Adamson, meanwhile, has dropped its last three games to end the first round with a 2-5 card but coach Leo Austria is hoping that Marc Agustin, Mike Galinato, and Jerick Canada could recover from a scoring slump to reverse their floundering fortunes.
Last Thursday, defending champion La Salle and National University got back at their first round tormentors.
League-leading Ateneo hopes to do the same today against Far Eastern University as the Eagles seek to boost their Final Four bid in the UAAP basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena.
The Blue Eagles were denied of a first-round sweep after losing to the Tamaraws, 72-66, last July 31. But they hope to erase that stigma when they clash with the Tamaraws at 4 p.m.
The Archers beat the University of the East Warriors, 70-62, while the Bulldogs ripped the University of the Philippines Maroons, 72-59.
Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas hopes to start its second round campaign on a winning note when it tangles with Adamson University in the 2 p.m. opener.
In FEU’s win over Ateneo, coach Glenn Capacio leaned on big men Riel Cervantes, Aldrech Ramos and Benedict Fernandez who came through with clutch plays to frustrate the Eagles’ sweep bid.
It also negated the monster game of Rabeh Al-Hussaini, who finished with 33 points and 22 rebounds.
Coach Norman Black is expected to make key adjustments to exact sweet revenge.
"We just lost to them, it’s quite fresh in our minds so after the first round we started preparing for this game," Black said.
Aside from Al-Hussaini, who was running second in the statistical points race after the first round, Ateneo will also rely on Chris Tiu, Noy Baclao, and Eric Salamat.
FEU, for its part, hopes to bounce back from a stinging loss to erstwhile winless National University, 69-61.
Meantime, the Tigers relied on leading scorer Dylan Ababou and rookie Clark Bautista to score an 86-80 overtime win over the Falcons.
Despite getting a good review before the start of the tournament, the Tigers could only post a 3-4 record at the end of the first round. They are coming off a 64-57 defeat to Ateneo last Sunday.
Aside from Ababou, Jervy Cruz, last year’s MVP and Francis Allera have to play hard and connect to beat the Falcons again.
Adamson, meanwhile, has dropped its last three games to end the first round with a 2-5 card but coach Leo Austria is hoping that Marc Agustin, Mike Galinato, and Jerick Canada could recover from a scoring slump to reverse their floundering fortunes.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Revenge for NU, DLSU
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 8, 2008
Not this time around.
Defending champion La Salle and National University made sure they would not be swept by University of the East and University of the Philippines, respectively, by pulling off big wins yesterday in the UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
With JV Casio knocking down 25 points and grabbing eight rebounds, the Archers got back at the Warriors, 70-61, while the Bulldogs trounced the Fighting Maroons, 72-59.
It was sweet revenge for both the Archers and Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs relied on veteran guard Jonathan Jahnke and rookie point guard Jerome Tungcul to notch their second straight win after dropping their first six games.
Actually, NU’s win was a fitting sequel to their stunning win over the fancied Far Eastern University.
With Casio and center Rico Maierhofer joining forces in a telling 12-0 run, the Archers broke a 38-38 count early in the third which was enough to tilt the tide in their favor.
The win came five days after the Green Archers’ five-game winning streak was snapped by the Warriors, 68-62.
I think it’s a very good sign for us, we were able to regroup and bounce back and it will help us down the stretch," said DLSU coach Franz Pumaren.
Maierhofer finished with 11 points and six rebounds while James Mangahas and Peejay Barua made nine points apiece as the Archers grabbed solo second second at 6-2.
After Casio buried a trey at the 5:09 mark of the third, Mangahas and Barua hit a layup each before Maierhofer uncorked five points to grab a 50-38 advantage.
The closest the Warriors could come was at 53-46 at the start of the fourth period as Casio drilled six points in a 11-2 blast to stretch their lead to 64-48.
"They (UE) were still aggressive and doing the same kind of play but I think the boys were really focused after the injuries of Simon (Atkins) and Marco (Batricevic)," said Pumaren.
Marcy Arellano led the Red Warriors with 13 points, his best production of the season, while Pari Llagas and Raffy Reyes tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively.
James Martinez, who made 19 points in their first encounter, was held to only five points while suffering a double black-eye after wearing a wrong short during the first quarter. He eventually got to don the correct uniform before returning to action in the second period.
Jahnke, playing his last year with NU, matched his career-high with 21 points and added four rebounds while Tungcul came off the bench to contribute five markers and dished out six assists in 28 minutes.
Not this time around.
Defending champion La Salle and National University made sure they would not be swept by University of the East and University of the Philippines, respectively, by pulling off big wins yesterday in the UAAP basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
With JV Casio knocking down 25 points and grabbing eight rebounds, the Archers got back at the Warriors, 70-61, while the Bulldogs trounced the Fighting Maroons, 72-59.
It was sweet revenge for both the Archers and Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs relied on veteran guard Jonathan Jahnke and rookie point guard Jerome Tungcul to notch their second straight win after dropping their first six games.
Actually, NU’s win was a fitting sequel to their stunning win over the fancied Far Eastern University.
With Casio and center Rico Maierhofer joining forces in a telling 12-0 run, the Archers broke a 38-38 count early in the third which was enough to tilt the tide in their favor.
The win came five days after the Green Archers’ five-game winning streak was snapped by the Warriors, 68-62.
I think it’s a very good sign for us, we were able to regroup and bounce back and it will help us down the stretch," said DLSU coach Franz Pumaren.
Maierhofer finished with 11 points and six rebounds while James Mangahas and Peejay Barua made nine points apiece as the Archers grabbed solo second second at 6-2.
After Casio buried a trey at the 5:09 mark of the third, Mangahas and Barua hit a layup each before Maierhofer uncorked five points to grab a 50-38 advantage.
The closest the Warriors could come was at 53-46 at the start of the fourth period as Casio drilled six points in a 11-2 blast to stretch their lead to 64-48.
"They (UE) were still aggressive and doing the same kind of play but I think the boys were really focused after the injuries of Simon (Atkins) and Marco (Batricevic)," said Pumaren.
Marcy Arellano led the Red Warriors with 13 points, his best production of the season, while Pari Llagas and Raffy Reyes tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively.
James Martinez, who made 19 points in their first encounter, was held to only five points while suffering a double black-eye after wearing a wrong short during the first quarter. He eventually got to don the correct uniform before returning to action in the second period.
Jahnke, playing his last year with NU, matched his career-high with 21 points and added four rebounds while Tungcul came off the bench to contribute five markers and dished out six assists in 28 minutes.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Archers eye revenge vs Warriors
By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - August 7, 2008
Five days after their first round duel, defending champion La Salle and University of the East collide once again as the second round of hostilities of the 71st UAAP men’s basketball tournament starts today at the Araneta Coliseum.
Last Saturday, the Red Warriors ended the five-game winning run of the Archers with a 68-62 victory, a feat that put them in fourth place after losing three of their previous four games.
They tangle at 4 p.m. with the Archers determined to get back at the Warriors, the very same team they swept in a best-of-three title series last year.
Host University of the Philippines and National University square off at 2 p.m. with the Maroons hoping to reprise the performance that enabled them to beat the Bulldogs in their opening game.
UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week James Martinez and rookie Paul Zamar are expected to encounter stiff resistance this time after sizzling from the 3-point territory last Saturday.
"The key during that game was our aggressiveness and defense," said UE head coach Dindo Pumaren. "We were able to pressure them from their half-court game which helped us."
Aside from Martinez, who scored 19 points last Saturday, and Zamar, the Warriors got solid help from Hans Thiele, Pari Llagas, and Paul Lee.
Martinez, 21, finished with an impressive 5-of-9 shooting from the trifectaville, while Zamar, son of former UE mentor Boyzie Zamar, chipped in 12 markers.
La Salle was not in full strength the last time as Simon Atkins, James Mangahas, Rico Maierhofer and Marco Batricevic were slowed down by various injuries.
Atkins suffered a "whiplash injury" after his head bounced off the floor as he tried to draw an offensive foul from the driving Rudy Lingganay early in the opening period. Atkins was rushed to St Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City for further treatment.
Coach Franz Pumaren will lean on the efforts of top scorer JV Casio and Maierhofer. Mangahas and Peejay Barua, on the other hand, is expected to provide solid support with rookie point guard LA Revilla most likely play major minutes with Atkins remains a doubtful starter.
The Bulldogs and Fighting Maroons are coming off upset victories over FEU and Adamson, respectively, thus making today’s game the more exciting.
NU leaned on the brilliant game from Jewel Ponferrada and Jonathan Jahnke to end a six-game losing run, 69-61, while UP leaned on another impressive showing from Martin Reyes and team captain Jay Agbayani to defeat the Falcons, 76-68.
The Bulldogs are aching to get back at the Maroons after absorbing a shocking 86-72 spanking in the first round.
That win enabled the Maroons to heave a big sigh of relief after losing all their 14 games last season.
Five days after their first round duel, defending champion La Salle and University of the East collide once again as the second round of hostilities of the 71st UAAP men’s basketball tournament starts today at the Araneta Coliseum.
Last Saturday, the Red Warriors ended the five-game winning run of the Archers with a 68-62 victory, a feat that put them in fourth place after losing three of their previous four games.
They tangle at 4 p.m. with the Archers determined to get back at the Warriors, the very same team they swept in a best-of-three title series last year.
Host University of the Philippines and National University square off at 2 p.m. with the Maroons hoping to reprise the performance that enabled them to beat the Bulldogs in their opening game.
UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week James Martinez and rookie Paul Zamar are expected to encounter stiff resistance this time after sizzling from the 3-point territory last Saturday.
"The key during that game was our aggressiveness and defense," said UE head coach Dindo Pumaren. "We were able to pressure them from their half-court game which helped us."
Aside from Martinez, who scored 19 points last Saturday, and Zamar, the Warriors got solid help from Hans Thiele, Pari Llagas, and Paul Lee.
Martinez, 21, finished with an impressive 5-of-9 shooting from the trifectaville, while Zamar, son of former UE mentor Boyzie Zamar, chipped in 12 markers.
La Salle was not in full strength the last time as Simon Atkins, James Mangahas, Rico Maierhofer and Marco Batricevic were slowed down by various injuries.
Atkins suffered a "whiplash injury" after his head bounced off the floor as he tried to draw an offensive foul from the driving Rudy Lingganay early in the opening period. Atkins was rushed to St Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City for further treatment.
Coach Franz Pumaren will lean on the efforts of top scorer JV Casio and Maierhofer. Mangahas and Peejay Barua, on the other hand, is expected to provide solid support with rookie point guard LA Revilla most likely play major minutes with Atkins remains a doubtful starter.
The Bulldogs and Fighting Maroons are coming off upset victories over FEU and Adamson, respectively, thus making today’s game the more exciting.
NU leaned on the brilliant game from Jewel Ponferrada and Jonathan Jahnke to end a six-game losing run, 69-61, while UP leaned on another impressive showing from Martin Reyes and team captain Jay Agbayani to defeat the Falcons, 76-68.
The Bulldogs are aching to get back at the Maroons after absorbing a shocking 86-72 spanking in the first round.
That win enabled the Maroons to heave a big sigh of relief after losing all their 14 games last season.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Harbour Centre, FEU Tamaraws join forces
Manila Bulletin - August 5, 2008
PBL five-time champion Harbour Centre yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with leading UAAP title contender Far Eastern University in a deal that is expected to boost their winning chances in their respective leagues.
"Our agreement is that we have to help each other out to keep our winning tradition going," said Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero. "FEU is a tough team, so we hope we can help them achieve their goal this year. But I’m confident they (Tamaraws) can do it."
"They (Tamaraws) are young and promising players and we feel we can help them reach their full potential, but their program is already good so it’s just a matter of timing," added Romero.
Part of the two-year deal is that Harbour Centre will help FEU in its recruitment program and training of their players.
The Tamaraws finished in joint second with defending champion La Salle at 5-2 at the end of the first round elimination. Ateneo topped the first round elims with a 6-1 card.
After the UAAP season, at least 9 players from the FEU squad will get the chance to play for Harbour in the coming PBL where the Batang Pier are hoping to extend their championship run to six.
FEU team manager Anton Montinola expressed delight with their partnership with Harbour Centre, saying both ball clubs boast of a rich winning tradition.
"This is a perfect partnership since we both have a winning tradition and our players are already ripe for the PBL," said Montinola. "This is just the right time."
The Batang Pier made history in the PBL recently by becoming the first team to win five-straight championships.
The Tamaraws, on the other hand, share the honor with University of Santo Tomas as the winningest clubs in the prestigious collegiate league with 19 titles each.
Also present during the signing of MOU were team manager Erick Arejola, FEU athletic moderator Mark Molina, coach Jorge Gallent and Harbour Centre COO Edwin L. Jeremillo.
"We have only a two-year deal but it’s renewable. We can extend it to five or six years," said Arejola.
"We hope that other teams in the PBL will also help some schools."
Among the FEU players being eyed by Gallent are Benedict Fernandez, Ricky Cawaling, John Aldrech Ramos, Reil Crvantes, Andy Mark Barroca, Paul Joseph Sanga, Jen Dieter Knuttel, Edgar Tanuan and Jonblargs Alisbo.
"We can possibly send them abroad for next year’s UAAP tournament," said Arejola.
PBL five-time champion Harbour Centre yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with leading UAAP title contender Far Eastern University in a deal that is expected to boost their winning chances in their respective leagues.
"Our agreement is that we have to help each other out to keep our winning tradition going," said Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero. "FEU is a tough team, so we hope we can help them achieve their goal this year. But I’m confident they (Tamaraws) can do it."
"They (Tamaraws) are young and promising players and we feel we can help them reach their full potential, but their program is already good so it’s just a matter of timing," added Romero.
Part of the two-year deal is that Harbour Centre will help FEU in its recruitment program and training of their players.
The Tamaraws finished in joint second with defending champion La Salle at 5-2 at the end of the first round elimination. Ateneo topped the first round elims with a 6-1 card.
After the UAAP season, at least 9 players from the FEU squad will get the chance to play for Harbour in the coming PBL where the Batang Pier are hoping to extend their championship run to six.
FEU team manager Anton Montinola expressed delight with their partnership with Harbour Centre, saying both ball clubs boast of a rich winning tradition.
"This is a perfect partnership since we both have a winning tradition and our players are already ripe for the PBL," said Montinola. "This is just the right time."
The Batang Pier made history in the PBL recently by becoming the first team to win five-straight championships.
The Tamaraws, on the other hand, share the honor with University of Santo Tomas as the winningest clubs in the prestigious collegiate league with 19 titles each.
Also present during the signing of MOU were team manager Erick Arejola, FEU athletic moderator Mark Molina, coach Jorge Gallent and Harbour Centre COO Edwin L. Jeremillo.
"We have only a two-year deal but it’s renewable. We can extend it to five or six years," said Arejola.
"We hope that other teams in the PBL will also help some schools."
Among the FEU players being eyed by Gallent are Benedict Fernandez, Ricky Cawaling, John Aldrech Ramos, Reil Crvantes, Andy Mark Barroca, Paul Joseph Sanga, Jen Dieter Knuttel, Edgar Tanuan and Jonblargs Alisbo.
"We can possibly send them abroad for next year’s UAAP tournament," said Arejola.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
