Scary Mammie puts up 20-23 performance as UE edges Ateneo

MANILA , Philippines -- Charles Mammie came back from a one-game suspension and asserted his dominance in the paint, leading UE to a gritty win over Ateneo, 72-68, in Season 76 of the UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay Wednesday.

Mammie put up a monster performance with 20 points and 23 rebounds while Roi Sumang and Dan Alberto, who came off the bench, added 14 points each to power the Warriors to their second win against three losses.

"They (Ateneo) are not a five-peat champion team for nothing. I saw their mental toughness. That’s what we currently lack now. We learned so much from this game," said UE coach Boycie Zamar.

"Mammie and Sumang have been carrying the heavy burden for us and luckily, we have someone like Alberto on offense and Casajeros contributing big on defense," he added.

Both teams figured in a nip-and-tuck fourth quarter in which Ateneo had had their last lead, 67-66, when Frank Golla sank a crucial jumper at the  1:22 mark.

UE countered with back-to-back layup conversions by JM Noble and Sumang to put the Warriors ahead, 70-67, with 47.1 ticks left.

Kiefer Ravena drew a foul in the ensuing possession and split his free throws to trim UE’s lead, 68-70, but Mammie came up huge again in the next possession. The Sierra Leone native grabbed an offensive rebound off a Sumang miss and was fouled to gain two free throws.

Mammie buried both his shots at the charity stripe with 17.2 left, and the Warriors went on to win.

Ateneo had a miserable last possession and took ill-advised shots as the time expired.

"Nung humabol   Ateneo, medyo na-deflate ang confidence ng mga bata. But fortunately, nagising sila at the right time ," said Zamar.

Juami Tiongson led the Eagles with 17 markers, including five triples, while Von Pessumal and Ravena chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively, to pace Ateneo, which dropped to  1-4 (win-loss).

The Warriors started the second half with a blistering 9-0 run to give them their biggest lead, 46-31.

The Eagles responded with a 13-2 blast bannered by Tiongson's three triples and capped by a Newsome putback to cut the deficit to 44-48.

Ateneo continued their strong play, closing the quarter with an 8-0 closing run and eventually caught up with the Warriors tie the game 54-all at the onset of the payoff period.

Mammie bullied his way to a double-double in the first half, tallying 10 points and 12 boards to give UE. a 37-31 upperhand at the break.