Ateneo, DLSU, UP show resilience in latest UAAP wins

MANILA, Philippines, March 30 ------ A compressed schedule, the ongoing pandemic, and the pressure of winning are combustible factors; yet the Ateneo Blue Eagles, DLSU Green Archers, and the UP Fighting Maroons have all found their verve and gumption to fashion out gutsy wins on Tuesday.

Ateneo found themselves in an early 0-8 hole to FEU Tamaraws but quickly erased it and were on the verge of blowing out their opponents when they put up a 23-point lead. But the Tamaraws came roaring back in the fourth period to cut the lead to six points. Luckily, a Dave Ildefonso triple doused fire on the uprising and helped Ateneo to a 79-70 win. The huge Ateneo lead was accomplished through the remarkable shooting display by Tyler Tio in the third period.

This was the second consecutive game where Ateneo was outscored in the fourth period, where they lost in turnover and fastbreak points, and were outshot from the free throw line. And yet, they found themselves with two wins in as many matches.

The Green Archers, on the other hand, have been grinding out wins. On opening day against UE, they nearly coughed up a double digit lead in the face of a searing rally by the Red Warriors in the fourth. Against NU, they found themselves down several times, the last being early in the fourth period.

However, La Salle turned to Justine Baltazar and Mark Nonoy to lead the rally and carve out a hard-fought come from behind 59-55 win. During their opening day win, Schonny Winston played superb and strapped La Salle on his shoulders for the win. This time around, they went to Baltazar and Nonoy, underscoring their depth.

In the nightcap, the UP Fighting Maroons found themselves in an unexpected dogfight with the UST Growling Tigers who were playing sans a foreign player. The Fighting Maroons were down at the halftime break but quickly turned things around at the eight-minute mark of the third period. Once ahead, UP slowly built its lead until they finished the match, 98-82. This time, it was Ricci Rivero and Zav Lucero who hiked UP to victory.

In all three wins, different players stepped up for all the winning schools. As they say, these are character building wins for the favorites to compete for the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball crown. And it sets up an exciting collision course when they all meet.

Source: philstar.com

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