The Ateneo Blue Eagles utilized championship experience in beating the University of Sto. Tomas Growling Tigers, 81-72, in the 2009 Philippine Collegiate Champion’s League (PCCL) Elite Eight at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The Eagles turned the heat in the second half to repeat over the Tigers, whom they easily eliminated in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Final Four.
The game saw both teams leaning on their rising stars as UAAP Finals MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini (Ateneo) and UAAP Season MVP Dylan Ababou (UST) missed this match, due to a conflict with the Smart Gilas-RP Team schedule.
American guard Kirk Long and big man Justin Chua, who is tipped to fill in Al-Hussaini’s spot, combined for 34 points, including 9 in the fourth period where the Eagles broke away from a tight 58-56 lead.
Long hit 19 points while Chua had a double-double to the tune of 15 markers and 14 boards.
UST tried to stage a comeback behind Bantay Bata All-Star Slam Dunk king Allein Maliksi, who poured in 10 of his career-high 25 points in the payoff period, but fell short.
It was a sorry loss for the Tigers, who led in the first half, with the UAAP Rookie of the Year Jeric Teng piling up 10 points.
The Eagles, however, put the clamps on Teng and Khasim Mirza in the second half.
Teng was held scoreless while Mirza only hit a single three-pointer in the last two periods. Mirza, who played his last game as a Tiger, wound up with only 9 points, a far cry from his 23-point and 11-rebound performance against the JRU Heavy Bombers in Ormoc City.
The Eagles, back-to-back champions in the UAAP, moved on to the Final Four and will meet NCAA runner-up and former three-time champion San Beda Red Lions on Monday.
The Scores:
ADMU 81 – Long 19, Chua 15, Salamat 13, Sumalinog 10, Baclao 9, Gonzaga 8, Salva 4, Reyes 3, Monfort 0.
UST 72 – Maliksi 25, Bautista 12, Teng 10, Mirza 9, Mariano 5, Fortuna 5, Afuang 4, Camus 2, Marquez 0, Felix 0.
Quarters: 19-23, 38-42, 58-56, 81-72.
No comments:
Post a Comment