Ateneo guns for UAAP title today

By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - September 25, 2008

In what stands as their last chance, the embattled De La Salle Green Archers get one final shot at ruffling the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ feathers.

So far, the Blue Eagles have proved impervious to the shafts of the Green Archers, having beaten their arch-rivals in all three of their previous meetings this year.

Now La Salle is down to its last arrow, and the target, circling imperiously above, is looking to swoop down for the kill.

Ateneo goes for the jugular today even as La Salle looks to keep its season alive in Game 2 of the 71st UAAP basketball finals at the Araneta Coliseum.

After a coasting 69-61 win in the opener Sunday, the Blue Eagles seek to continue their dominance with Most Valuable Player Rabeh Al-Hussaini leading the way.

Al-Hussaini, who will receive his MVP award before the game, wound up with 31 points on 14-of-26 shooting, while adding nine rebounds as he terrorized the DLSU frontline during the 40-minute affair.

Also producing for Ateneo is rookie of the year Ryan Buenafe, who scored 12 points, all in the first half, while adding 11 rebounds and five assists as he took over the chores left unfulfilled by Chris Tiu, who sat out the game due to foul trouble.

Despite having the edge over their fiercest foes, especially with Ateneo’s 3-0 record against them, Blue Eagles coach Norman Black remains cautious.

"They are definitely capable of beating us but that’s not our focus," Black said. "Our focus is to win the championship which means we have to beat them one more time."

A victory by the Loyola-based squad would give them their fourth title since joining the league in 1979. ADMU won back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988, beating University of the East and La Salle, respectively.

After 14 years, the Blue Eagles dumped the Green Archers anew in three full games in 2002 to grab its last UAAP title.

While Al-Hussaini and Buenafe are constant factors, Ateneo is hoping that team captain Tiu and reserve guard Eric Salamat will return to form.

Tiu sat out the bench early with two quick fouls and finished with only two points, the same output as Salamat last Sunday.

Expected to again rise to the occasion is point guard Jai Reyes, who scored 12 points, including a three-pointer seconds before halftime that pushed the Eagles’ lead to 36-29. Another key figure, Nonoy Baclao, is seeking to repeat his seven block effort in Game 1.

Down but not out, DLSU head coach Franz Pumaren is still confident of forcing a winner-take-all match on Sunday.

"It takes two to win a championship," Pumaren said. "I don’t think they can count us out because we can come back."

In Game 1, JV Casio had 20 points despite an 8-of-24 shooting while Rico Maierhofer contributed 17 points and 16 rebounds. None of their teammates contributed much, however, as James Mangahas was limited to five points from four quick fouls with Peejay Barua, Bader Malabes and Maui Villanueva combining for a mere 14 points.

La Salle has a history of winning Game 2 of a championship series after losing the opener. The two most recent were in 1999 against University of Santo Tomas and in 2002 against Ateneo.

For La Salle to win, they have to recover from a dismal 29 percent shooting, while hoping their three-point shooting clip would fare better than 16 of 19.

In three games this season, Ateneo has dominated La Salle in almost all categories.

Ateneo shot 44 percent compared to La Salle’s 34 percent clip. They had the advantage in rebounds (44.3 to 39.3) and in second chance points (10.7 to 4.3).

Baclao’s fly-swatting exploits has also helped the Loyola-based squad to have a huge advantage in blocks, 7.0-3.7.

Before the game, Al-Hussaini and Ryan Buenafe will be officially named as the league’s MVP and Rookie of the Year, respectively.

Al-Hussaini edged out UST’s Jervy Cruz for the coveted award while Buenafe was the overwhelming choice for best rookie of the season.

The Mythical Five, Most Improved Player and the Defensive Player of the Year honors will also be conferred to the winners.

Adamson juniors standout Mark Juruena and UST cagebelle Marichu Bacaro will also receive their MVP trophies.