Eagles, Archers pull off victories the hard way
Games today (Filoil Flying V Center) 2 p.m. – NU vs UST 4 p.m. – UP vs UE
Ateneo got off on the wrong foot but ended on the right one.
The Blue Eagles started the game with a 4-16 deficit but recovered, made proper course correction, and finished strong to run away with a 70-59 disposal of tough Far Eastern U and a stint in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball Final Four last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Ateneans tightened the defensive screws particularly in the fourth quarter, holding the Tams to a meager nine points and three field goals to set the stage for their 10th straight win.
“We didn’t start on the right foot,” said AdMU coach Sandy Arespacochaga, whose wards trailed after 10 minutes, 12-21, but turned the tables around with their stifling defense. “We had a bad first quarter but we’re quite happy with our second, third and fourth. We’d like to believe that’s how we’d like to play especially on the defensive end.”
Matt Nieto and Raffy Verano took charge in the mop-op for AdMU, outscoring the entire FEU team with a combined 15 in the payoff canto. The duo finished with 14 apiece to lead scoring.
The Tams absorbed their fifth loss in 10 outings.
In the first game, La Salle unleashed a new weapon in big man Santi Santillan as it pulled off a hard-earned 80-74 win over Adamson to solidify its hold of second spot with 8-2. AdU, which held the upperhand three-fourth of the way, slipped to 6-4.
Given a rare start, Santillan made the most of it and dished out a career-high 16 markers on top of 10 rebounds, capping his heroics with a clutch bucket that gave the Archers a 76-72 cushion in the last 36 seconds.
Ricci Rivero led the scoring parade for DLSU with 17 spiked by two cold-blooded freebies that sealed the deal for their third straight victory.
After trailing by 10 early on, La Salle played catch up and didn’t enjoy the lead until the latter part of the third period.
The Falcons wrested a 72-71 margin on charities before the Archers finished them off with a 9-2 windup ignited by Andrei Caracut’s booming trey.
“This was a character game for us,” said Rivero, quoting coach Aldin Ayo, who once again skipped the customary post-game press conference for winning teams.
Ben Mbala added 15 points, 17 rebounds and five shot blocks to the DLSU cause. The scores: First Game DLSU 80 – R. Rivero 17, Santillan 16, Mbala 15, Montalbo 10, P. Rivero 7, Melecio 5, Tratter 5, Caracut 3, Baltazar 2, Go 0.
AdU 74 – Sarr 17, Ahanmisi 17, Espeleta 12, Manalang 11, Hill 8, Lojera 3, Ochea 2, Bernardo 2, Manganti 2, Mustre 0, Chua 0, Pingoy 0, Zaldivar 0, Frias 0. Quarterscores: 13-17, 35-35, 58-54, 80-74 Second Game AdMU 70 – Ma. Nieto 14, Verano 14, Tolentino 7, Asistio 6, Black 6, Ravena 6, Go 5, Ikeh 5, Mi. Nieto 4, Mamuyac 3, Andrade 0, Mendoza 0, Tio 0.
FEU 59 – Dennison 12, Tolentino 11, Cani 10, Parker 7, Orizu 6, Escoto 5, Ebona 4, Inigo 4, Comboy 0, Ramirez 0, Stockton 0, Tuffin 0.
Quarterscores: 12-21, 27-34, 47-50, 70-59