By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - July 7, 2008
Ateneo de Manila University made a late charge in the fourth quarter to defeat rival De La Salle University, 79-73, last night in the 71st UAAP men’s basketball tournament before a crowd of 22,008 at the Araneta Coliseum.
In a see-saw battle, Chris Tiu took over down the stretch to lead the Blue Eagles with 26 points and seven rebounds as they continued their mastery of the Archers whom they beat thrice in five meetings last season.
"It’s a good win for us, you always want to start off the season with a victory," said head coach Norman Black. "Every time you beat La Salle it’s always a good feeling."
Tiu also went 17-for-19 from the foul line to offset his 4-of-11 shooting from the field.
The fifth-year standout broke a 71-71 tie with two foul shots with 2:56 left. He later sank two of three charities off Hyram Bagatsing with 38.5 ticks to go for a 74-71 mark.
Ateneo stopped La Salle on several occasions, including a missed shot by Peejay Barua with 20.1 seconds that could have tied the game.
"Like I said before, he’s always our go-to-guy in crucial situations and he stepped up big for us," Black said of Tiu.
Eric Salamat and Rabah Al-Hussaini made 10 points each while freshman Ryan Buenafe and Jobe Nkemakolam added eight and seven points, respectively.
Ateneo shot better from the line, hitting 34-for-42 as against La Salle’s 13-for-29, spelling the difference in the game.
Ateneo actually trailed 67-61 with 7:26 left following a triple by James Mangahas, but Al-Hussaini hit two hook shots to fuel a 10-0 run that gave the Eagles a 71-67 margin with 5:11 left.
But JV Casio scored on a layup and Rico Maierhofer completed a Mangahas assist to tie the game for the 13th and final time, 71-71, with 4:24 left in the game.
Casio led DLSU with 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting while Maierhofer chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds. Mangahas added 13 while rookie Joshua Webb came off the bench to score seven in 11 minutes of action.
Tiu made two technical free throws right before tipoff after head coach Franz Pumaren failed to wear the prescribed ID, a requirement for UAAP coaches, prompting La Salle officials to talk directly with commissioner Chito Narvasa.
Meanwhile, newly-crowned WBC lightweight king Manny Pacquiao was given a Sports Excellence award by the UAAP board prior to the start of the second game. UP president Dr. Emerlinda Roman also gave Pacquiao a UP centennial jacket and cap during the short festivities.
Lost in the Ateneo-La Salle match was University of the Philippines’ win over National University, 86-72, in the first game.
The Fighting Maroons, who lost all their 14 games last season, went on a tear in the second half on baskets by third-year standout Martin Reyes, Andrew Marfoni, and Jay Agbayani to score their first game since beating University of the East in the last game of the 2006 season.
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