Eagles buck Maroons; Bulldogs halt Tams

MANILA, Philippines - Reigning champion Ateneo bucked a slow, sputtering start with a strong, spirited finish as it turned back an upset-conscious State U, 76-70, and catch Far Eastern U at the top in the 75th UAAP basketball tournament yesterday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Eagles then watched the Tams, alone on top after hurdling their first four games, fall to the National U Bulldogs, 57-61, hours later to grab a piece of the lead on identical 4-1 (win-loss) slates.

Nico Salva paced the Eagles with 21 points, including 11 in the third quarter when they rallied from as much as 10 points down, while Christopher Sumalinog scored five crucial points in the fourth quarter that parried the Maroons’ last gasp rally.

Sumalinog finished with 10 points, all coming in the second half, that elicited a special mention from his coach Norman Black during the post-game interview.

“Nico (Salva) did a great job the entire game and I also like to give credit to Oping Sumalinog in the second half for giving us a big lift,” said Black.

With UP mentor Ricky Dandan tweaking his starting five by inserting rookies Chris Ball and Henry Asilum, the Maroons got off to a strong start, dictating the first half to lead by as much as nine points twice before going to the break with a 40-32 lead.

The Maroons, whose last win over the Eagles came three years ago, a 68-58 win, even led by as big as 10 points on Alvin Padilla’s basket early in the third period. But Salva turned the tide in the Eagles’ favor after unleashing an 11-point barrage that saw them seizing a 61-57 lead at the end of the quarter and momentum in the fourth.

That was when Sumalinog came through with a five-point swing highlighted by a booming triple and sinking two pressure-packed free throws before Ateneo’s defense took over in stopping UP on its track.

“Today we weren’t able to control the perimeter shooting of UP who shot 50 percent from three-point range and I think they shocked us a bit in the first half after taking a big lead,” said Black. “What was important for us is we settled down at half time and got back to play what we do best, which is playing defense.

“And we did that in the second half and our defense was much improved,” he added.

Last season’s MVP Bobby Parks Jr. poured eight of his team-high 17 points in the final canto, including six of NU’s last seven points as the Bulldogs completed a dramatic comeback from double-digit deficits in the third quarter.

NU coach Eric Altamirano said his team, which improved to 3-2, showed character.

“I’ve been saying this is a young team but on this day, the boys showed character,” he said.

Down 57-60, FEU had a chance to tie it and force overtime but Terrence Romeo, who had 18 points including four three-pointers, lost the ball in an isolation play against Parks that hastened its downfall.

Mark de Guzman, formerly of St. Benilde, split his charities to seal the deal.

In juniors’ action, FEU dumped University of the East, 87-45, and La Salle-Zobel edged UP, 68-61, to boost their respective stocks.

The scores:

First Game (srs)

Ateneo 76 – Salva 21, Slaughter 13, Ravena 11, Sumalinog 10, Chua 7, Gonzaga 5, Buenafe 5, Erram 2, Elorde 2, Pessumal 0, Capacio 0

UP 70 – Lopez 13, Ball 11, Padilla 11, Gamboa 10, Soyud 9, Montecastro 6, Asilum 6, Silungan 2, Romero 2, Mbah 0, Manuel 0, Hipolito 0, Gallarza 0

Quarterscores: 17-19; 32-40; 61-57; 76-70

Second Game (srs)

NU 61 – Parks 17, Rosario 12, Mbe 12, Alolino 6, Villamor 4, Javillonar 4, Rono 3, Betayene 2, de Guzman 1, Singh 0

FEU 57 – Romero 18, Belo 8, M. Bringas 8, Garcia 5, A. Bringas 5, Mendoza 4, Cruz 4, Hargrove 3, Escoto 2, Tolomia 0, Sentcheu 0, Pogoy 0

Quarterscores: 12-15; 24-30; 46-47; 61-57