RED WARRIORS SHOOT DOWN BLUE EAGLES

By Nick Giongco

EVEN WITH a substandard showing, University of the East proved superior to Ateneo last night as the Red Warriors forged at least a playoff for a Final Four slot with a 73-68 conquest of the Blue Eagles in the 70th UAAP basketball wars at the Araneta Coliseum.

"We had a bad start," said UE mentor Dindo Pumaren, who disclosed that the team was unable to follow the gameplan of limiting Ateneo’s big men down the post with Eagle center Claiford Arao making 14 points mostly on inside plays.

"Probably our long layoff had something to do (with this performance)," said Pumaren, who swept the first round and whose team now has a three game advantage over a bunch led by defending champion University Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University and La Salle.

The Warriors last played on Aug. 4 with a sweat-free win over Adamson and their inactivity may have played a part in their somewhat listless stint.

Still, when the game was on the line, UE came up with the telling blows courtesy of slotman Mark Boroboran, who had eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Also contributing in that stretch were Paul Lee, guard Marcy Arellano and wingman Kelvin Gregorio.

Ateneo was leading, 59-55, in third quarter behind back-to-back triples by Jai Reyes and Chris Tiu in the last 42 seconds. But it didn’t take long before UE regained control courtesy of Borboran and Gregorio, who gave the Warriors a 67-63 lead midway through the quarter.

UE also got lucky when Ateneo faltered from the stripe in the next two minutes as Borboran and Arellano lit up the scoreboard that gave them a 71-66 lead as Ken Barracoso missed two, Eric Salamat halved his set of two and Arao flubbed a potential three-point play off a Hans Thiele foul.

Chris Tiu could have compelled Pumaren to press the panic button with 38.2 seconds to go but he could only make two charities off a fouled three-point attempt and Lee put the game in the bag for UE when he sank two from the line off a desperation foul by Tiu with 3.7 ticks remaining before the curtains fell.

Although it’s still early in the second round, UE can make it straight to the finals if it scores a 14-0 sweep of the eliminations. But that’s far from Pumaren’s mind.

"We are not talking about that and I don’t even mention it to my players," said Pumaren.

Earlier in the day, FEU turned back Adamson, 72-69, to keep its final four hopes burning.

"This is a young team and they get rattled easily," said Tamaraws coach Glenn Capacio. "I just hope that they learn how to deal with pressure when we face the top teams. We have to learn how to finish a game."

Reynel Hugnatan pushed Adamson to 69-71 with 55 seconds remaining but the Falcons came up short in the dying seconds.

First Game

FEU 72 — Sanga 15, Fernandez 12, Ramos 9, Barroca 8, Baracael 8, Cervantes 7, Adolfo 6, Cawaling 5, Abaring 2, Knuttel 0.

Adamson 69 — Hugnatan 24, Cabahug 16, Canuday 7, Yambot 6, Colina 4, Margallo 4, Gonzalgo 4, Canada 2, LOzada 0, Olalia 0, Santos 0, Gorospe 0.

Quarters: 18-22, 38-all, 61-53, 72-69.

Second Game

UE 73 — Borboran 16, Espiritu 15, Lee 12, Arellano 10, Gregorio 9, Canizares 4, Martinez 3, Fampulme 2, Thiele 2, Linganay 0, Llagas 0.

Ateneo 68 — Arao 14, Tiu 11, Baclao 9, Salamat 8, Al-Hussaini 7, Barracoso 6, Reyes 5, Nkemakolam 4, Long 2, Laterre 2, Monfort 0.

Borboran steps up for hot Warriors
By Jasmine W. Payo
Inquirer
Last updated 03:38am (Mla time) 08/15/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- The University of the East Warriors have proven to be a potent yet puzzling crew for opposing teams.

Even with no dominant leader, the Warriors have remained unbeaten in eight games in the UAAP men’s basketball competition.

“We don’t have a go-to guy, I think that’s one advantage,” said UE coach Dindo Pumaren. “In our eight games, we had different top scorers. Even in close games, different players stepped up for us during clutch situations.”

And Pumaren hopes the Warriors’ offensive identity will remain that way.

In previous matches, among the Warriors who have shone include Mark Borboran, Kelvin Gregorio, Marcy Arellano, Elmer Espiritu, Jorel Cañizares, Hans Thiele, James Martinez, Mark Fampulme, Narciso Llagas and rookie standout Paul Lee.

“I’m very confident with my players right now,” said Pumaren. “We really just have to sustain this kind of game.”

Last Sunday, Borboran sparked the Warriors’ second-half turnaround for a 73-68 triumph over the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles.

The 6-foot-4 Borboran, named UAAP Press Corps’ Anta Player of the Week, fired eight points in the first six minutes of the fourth period to turn a 55-59 UE deficit into a 69-64 advantage.

With the victory, the Warriors moved within a win of matching their 9-0 start in 1986.

“I keep reminding the players that we should keep our distance,” said Pumaren, noting that the Warriors have moved three wins ahead of their closest pursuers.

Defending champion University of Santo Tomas, De La Salle University and Far Eastern University remained tied for second with 5-3 slates.

The Warriors, though, are bracing themselves for tougher games ahead after posting an average winning margin of 18.3 points in their 7-0 sweep of the first round.