FilOil: UE blasts EAC by 31 points to even their record

(Updated 4:43pm) The University of the East Red Warriors conquered the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, 97-66, in the FilOil Flying V Hanes Preseason Cup elimination round, Friday, at the FilOil Flying V Arena.

UE led from wire-to-wire, by as much as 34 points, to even their record at 2-2. On the other hand, the Generals are still seeking their first win after three tries in Group B play.

Still, Warriors head coach Boysie Zamar wasn't completely satisfied with his team's performance. "A sign of a good team is one that bounces back, not by doing what you want but by doing it the right way," said Zamar, noting that his team had a tendency to play selfishly. "It's [been] a seven-month transition period. We've been high and low, we can't do a roller-coaster type of basketball."

Zamar wants his team to improve from their seventh place finish from the last UAAP season, but wasn't ready to call his team a contender.

"We want to keep moving up the ladder, we want to dream big," he said, while also cautioning that an arduous path lay before his players.

Charles Mammie led all scorers with 23 points and 11 rebounds. JR Sumido tossed in 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Roi Sumang had 11 points and three dimes in 18 minutes of play.

Neither team established control of the game in the first quarter, as they both settled for quick shots and botched fast break tries. Eventually, the Warriors emerged as the better team in defending against transition baskets, and went on a 14-1 run, including 12 points by JR Sumido and Charles Mammie, in the last five minutes, against an EAC squad that couldn't make their free throws, 22-7.

In the final minute of the first, an and-one by John Monteclaro triggered an 8-0 Generals run, but UE pushed the ball to Roi Sumang on their end, who beat the quarter buzzer with a three-pointer, 25-15.

UE slowly pulled away in the second period, fueling their offense with good ball movement, while conceding only fast break points to the Generals. UE led by as much as 18 points, as Adrian Santos scored six to widen the gap, 38-23.

With under five minutes to play, an unsportsmanlike foul was called on Sumido while fighting John Tayontong for a loose ball. The latter split from the line and his team was unable to turn the call into any momentum in their favor. Unable to keep the Warriors out of the paint, EAC's two field goals in the last five minutes kept them firmly behind at halftime, 48-33.

At halftime the Warriors shot 17-of-36 from the floor (47 percent) and 11-of-16 from the line (69 percent), while EAC was 10-of-34 (29 percent) and 11-of-19 (58 percent) in the same categories, respectively.


The Generals caught UE flat when play resumed and cut the lead to 10 points on an Igee King trey, 50-40. The Warriors countered by pushing their advantage in the open court, while treys by Sumang, Sumido and JM Noble built a 18-4 run, 68-44, before see-sawing in the last two minutes, as a Mammie slam brought the tally to 74-48 after three quarters.

In the fourth, John Tayontong forced a steal for an open lay-up, capping an initial 9-4 run for the Generals. The Warriors pushed back hard with a 10-2 blast, as a JM Noble triple opened a 30-point wound, 88-58. Mammie then scored UE's next six, punctuating a 93-59 tally with a two-handed reverse jam with under four minutes to play.

Sydney Onwubere marred what would have otherwise been an uneventful finish, as he was ejected from the playing court for extending his foot beneath Bong Galanza, as the latter attempted a long jumper, with less than three minutes remaining.

The Warriors shied away from scoring 100 points, holding on to the ball with 20 seconds left and allowing time to expire.

UE finished with a 36-of-73 mark from the field (49 percent), including 7-of-21 from long range (33 percent). Meanwhile the Generals were 22-of-77 from the floor (29 percent) and 4-of-26 from beyond the arc (15 percent).

The Warriors outscored the Generals on the break, 26-14.

Sherwin Castro led EAC with 12 points and seven rebounds. John Tayontong added 11 points and four assists, while Jan Jamon chipped in 10 points. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

UE 97: Mammie 23, Sumido 15, Sumang 11, Noble 10, Santos 8, Casajeros 8, Javier 4, Bonleon 4, Olivares 4, Alberto 3, Guion 2, Pujante 2, Flores 2, Galanza 1, Hernandez 0, De Leon 0

EAC 66: Castro 12, Jamon 10, Munsayac 9, King 6, Manga 6, Mejos 3, Arquero 3, Monteclaro 3, Santos 2, Onwubere 1, Mallari 0, Saludo 0, Navarro 0

Quarter scoring: 25-15, 48-33, 74-48, 97-66