flipside
10-01-2006, 02:08 AM
Deciding Game 3 Tomorrow: Tigers beat ’em Black and Blue
By Joey Villar
The Philippine Star 10/01/2006
The Santo Tomas Tigers fought menacingly throughout last night after yielding Game One in a heartbeat, clobbering Norman Black and the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 87-71, to force a deciding Game Three in their UAAP title playoff at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Tigers put behind their last-second defensive lapse in the series opener, keeping their focus on the game from the opening tip to the final buzzer to spoil the night of the Eagles and their huge crowd of fans looking forward to a big championship party.
The two teams instead return to the Big Dome tomorrow to slug it out one more time to decide who will bring home the 2006 UAAP crown.
UST, which has made up for that final-second defensive booboo in Game One, is 40 minutes shy of completing a sort of Cinderalla finish under rookie coach Pido Jarencio.
The Tigers will go for it with a complete lineup as versatile forward Anthony Espiritu was spared suspension despite deliberate infractions last night. He was thrown out of the game midway through the last quarter.
Espiritu, Dylan Ababou and Jojo Duncil played key roles as the Tigers avenged their 72-73 heartbreaker of a loss in Game One.
"That’s our team. There are different players stepping up each game. That’s what Dylan and Duncil did tonight," said Jarencio in Filipino.
Espiritu made three triples and a total of 10 points, three rebounds and one assist before being banished from the game.
Ababou, a 19-year-old son of a French-Moroccan, came through with a career-high 22 points and two assists while Duncil put in 20 points, three rebounds and two steals as UST’s forwards made the killing as center Jervy Cruz struggled in the face of Ateneo’s resolute post defense.
Cruz, however, still logged decent numbers with 13 rebounds and 10 points.
Held to just a basket in Game One, Ababou shone brightest, making nine of his 11 field-goal shots.
"Dylan is a player with a lot of promise and he showed it in this game," said Jarencio.
Cruz, who had 20 points in the series opener, bled for his points this time with Ateneo putting premium on their inside defense.
JC Intal, who narrowly lost the MVP award to Adamson’s Ken Bono before the game, led all scorers with 23 points although he was limited to seven in the final half.
The Tigers dominated the Eagles in the last three quarters, carrying over a 10-point margin into the final half after taking a 21-20 edge at the end of the first quarter.
Ateneo was lucky there’s still Game 3.
"It’s just one game and a one loss. You need to win two games to win the title," said Ateneo coach Norman Black, taking their defeat in strides.
The Tigers set the tone for the rout after unleashing a big second quarter run anchored on Ababou. The team led by as many as 13 in the quarter.
The Eagles clawed their way back to the game at 61-65 at the onset of the fourth period but that proved to be their last show of resistance.
By Joey Villar
The Philippine Star 10/01/2006
The Santo Tomas Tigers fought menacingly throughout last night after yielding Game One in a heartbeat, clobbering Norman Black and the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 87-71, to force a deciding Game Three in their UAAP title playoff at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Tigers put behind their last-second defensive lapse in the series opener, keeping their focus on the game from the opening tip to the final buzzer to spoil the night of the Eagles and their huge crowd of fans looking forward to a big championship party.
The two teams instead return to the Big Dome tomorrow to slug it out one more time to decide who will bring home the 2006 UAAP crown.
UST, which has made up for that final-second defensive booboo in Game One, is 40 minutes shy of completing a sort of Cinderalla finish under rookie coach Pido Jarencio.
The Tigers will go for it with a complete lineup as versatile forward Anthony Espiritu was spared suspension despite deliberate infractions last night. He was thrown out of the game midway through the last quarter.
Espiritu, Dylan Ababou and Jojo Duncil played key roles as the Tigers avenged their 72-73 heartbreaker of a loss in Game One.
"That’s our team. There are different players stepping up each game. That’s what Dylan and Duncil did tonight," said Jarencio in Filipino.
Espiritu made three triples and a total of 10 points, three rebounds and one assist before being banished from the game.
Ababou, a 19-year-old son of a French-Moroccan, came through with a career-high 22 points and two assists while Duncil put in 20 points, three rebounds and two steals as UST’s forwards made the killing as center Jervy Cruz struggled in the face of Ateneo’s resolute post defense.
Cruz, however, still logged decent numbers with 13 rebounds and 10 points.
Held to just a basket in Game One, Ababou shone brightest, making nine of his 11 field-goal shots.
"Dylan is a player with a lot of promise and he showed it in this game," said Jarencio.
Cruz, who had 20 points in the series opener, bled for his points this time with Ateneo putting premium on their inside defense.
JC Intal, who narrowly lost the MVP award to Adamson’s Ken Bono before the game, led all scorers with 23 points although he was limited to seven in the final half.
The Tigers dominated the Eagles in the last three quarters, carrying over a 10-point margin into the final half after taking a 21-20 edge at the end of the first quarter.
Ateneo was lucky there’s still Game 3.
"It’s just one game and a one loss. You need to win two games to win the title," said Ateneo coach Norman Black, taking their defeat in strides.
The Tigers set the tone for the rout after unleashing a big second quarter run anchored on Ababou. The team led by as many as 13 in the quarter.
The Eagles clawed their way back to the game at 61-65 at the onset of the fourth period but that proved to be their last show of resistance.