UAAP Juniors: ADMU rallies to escape FEU, NU annihilates UST by 34 points

JR Isaga

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UAAP Juniors: ADMU rallies to escape FEU, NU annihilates UST by 34 points

August dela Cruz

The Ateneo Blue Eaglets squeezes past the defending champions FEU Baby Tamaraws

MANILA, Philippines – Must-see matches once again kicked off the third day of the UAAP Juniors basketball tournament’s 2nd round at the FilOil Flying V Centre on Saturday, January 20.

In the 9 am opening game, the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eaglets rallied from 12 down to squeeze past defending champion Far Eastern University (FEU) Baby Tamaraws, 68-65. Although Ateneo still emerged victorious, the 3-point win marks their lowest winning margin so far in their spotless season.

As expected from them, the feared foursome of SJ Belangel (20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists), Kai Sotto (16 points, 10 boards, 3 blocks), Enrico Manuel (12 points, 14 boards, 4 assists), and Dave Ildefonso (11 points, 8 boards, 2 assists) led the Eaglets’ comeback effort against the scrappy Tamaraws.

After leading for most of the first half, FEU saw their lead disappear after a spirited 21-10 3rd quarter from Ateneo. However, the champs made it clear that they weren’t going away after back-to-back triples from Finals Most Valuable Player L-Jay Gonzales and Bryan Sajonia to put them up 55-51.

Still, the 4-way star show by the Eaglets proved too much down the stretch, as a pair of free-throws by Manuel created a two-possession separation, 65-60, with less than a minute left in regulation. FEU had a chance to send the game to overtime but its last-second triple clanked off.

Hot on the game’s heels is another marquee matchup between the Nazareth School of National University (NU) Bullpups and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Cubs. However, what was supposed to be a back-and-forth affair turned ugly after the first period as the 2nd-place Bullpups coasted to a 109-75 win over the slumping Cubs, who have not won in so far in Round 2 after 3 tries.

Although UST led by a point in the 1st, 26-25, a 19-5 2nd quarter run led by acrobatic guard Paul Manalang swung the score and the momentum, 44-31, for the Bullpups. The Cubs managed the deficit down to 9 at the half, 50-41, but NU once again ran with a 15-2 attack in the 3rd frame towards a 22-point lead, 65-43.

Due to frustration at a worsening on-court embarrassment, UST’s Vince Dolendo threw a punch towards the back of NU’s Paolo Javillonar with exactly 3 minutes left, resulting in double unsportsmanlike fouls on top of a regular shooting foul.

Referees opted to use a nail gun over a hammer on the coffin of UST, awarding 6 straight free-throws and an extra possession for NU. The Bullpups drained 4 freebies and two extra layups as a parting gift to the Cubs.

Manalang erupted for a game- and career-high 25 points with 3 boards and 5 helpers in the lopsided victory. Meanwhile, MVP frontrunner CJ Cansino had a lukewarm performance for his standards, chipping in just 13 points on 4 triples and one free-throw with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Dolendo ended up with 7 total fouls (5 on the official tally) to go along with 10 points for UST.

In the match between the Adamson University (AdU) Baby Falcons and the University of the East (UE) Junior Warriors, the Falcons orchestrated a 72-66 comeback win over the cellar-dwelling Warriors.

After UE went up 57-45, Adamson managed to lock them down and produce easy fast break points as a result. On the back of Jose Sabandal and Adrian Manlapaz, the Falcons stepped on the gas when it mattered most and finished the game with a 27-9 4th quarter.

Sabandal led the late Falcon charge with 20 points (all in the 2nd half), 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Manlapaz followed with a double-double of 16 points (12 in the 2nd half) and 10 boards. On the other side, it was a one-man show with UE big man Andrei Dulalia, who nailed a 20-20 double-double totaling 23 points and 20 rebounds (14 offensive).

Capping off the day is a thriller game between the University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) Junior Fighting Maroons and the De La Salle Zobel (DLSZ) Junior Archers, where the Maroons eked out a 71-69 win for their first two-game winning streak of the season and their 3rd win overall.

UPIS came out blazing in the first two quarters, outgunning DLSZ, 36-26. However, the Juniors Archers slowly shot their way back in the game with a one stop per possession mentality, ending with a 24-11 3rd quarter. The game was neck-and-neck until the last 2 minutes, when Jaggie Gregorio scored 5 straight off tough perimeter jumpers to put the Maroons up 71-65. While DLSZ scored two key buckets in the game’s waning moments, they committed a game-costing traveling violation with 1.2 seconds left.

Gregorio topscored for UPIS with 17 points and 5 rebounds off 3/8 shooting from 3. Labao twins Ralph and Rafael kept twinning with double 15-point performances. On the other end, it was the “C” section of the DLSZ roster who kept them in the game, with Rogil Carlos scoring a game-high 18 points, followed by Chris Calimag, Nat Consejo and Raven Cortez who had 17, 16 and 9 markers respectively.

The Juniors tournament will have one more game day in FilOil next Saturday, January 27, before moving to the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym starting February 4.

The Scores:

ADMU (68) – Belangel 20, Sotto 16, Manuel 12, Ildefonso 11, Credo 9, Escalona 0, Chiu 0, Angeles 0, David 0, Jaymalin 0, Lopa 0.

FEU-D (65) – Abarrientos 16, Alforque 12, Gonzales 12, Torres 12, Sajonia 10, Celso 2, Ona 1, Boc 0, Tolentino 0, Mariano 0.

NU (109) – Manalang 25, Amsali 13, Fortea 12, Coyoca 12, Oczon 10, Malonzo 10, Javillonar 9, Gonzales 6, Minerva 6, Pradella 4, Pangilinan 2, Felisilda 0, Dayrit 0, Vinoya 0.

UST (75) – Cansino 13, Palencia 13, Dolendo 10, Lina 7, Baquial 6, Narvasa 6, Manabat 6, Benzonan 5, Anunciacion 5, Esplana 2, Estrella 2, Dela Cruz 0, Villapando 0, Biag 0, Co 0.

AdU (72) ­­- Sabandal 20, Manlapaz 16, Doria Ad. 7, Doria An. 4, Engbino 4, Baculio 4, Perez 4, Canoy 3, Santos P. 2, Padilla O. 2, Hanapi 2, Santos R. 2, Sevilla 2, Prodigo 0, Padilla A. 0.

UE (66) – Dulalia 23, Miranda 10, Dichoso 9, Angeles 7, Vinte 6, Policarpio 6, Tajonera 3, Almacen 2, Villarta 0.

UPIS (71) – Gregorio 17, Labao Ral. 15, Labao Raf. 15, Santiago 7, Estrera 7, Tupaz 6, Villa-Real 4, Vergeire 0, Lopez 0.

DLSZ (69) – Carlos 18, Calimag 17, Consejo 16, Cortez 9, Vesagas 4, Pascual 3, Santos 2, Buncayo 0, Escandor 0, Barcuma 0, Terrado 0, Bonalos 0, Chavez 0, Udal 0, Favis 0.

Season 80 Standings (as of Jan. 20, 2018)

School                  Win-Loss Record

ADMU                 10-0

NU                         8-2

UST                       5-5

FEU-D                  5-5

AdU                      5-5

UPIS                     3-7

DLSZ                    3-7

UE                         1-9

– Rappler.com

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