UAAP: Mbe-less Bulldogs trump Red Warriors

(Updated 5:15pm) The University of the East Red Warriors played a more competitive game compared to the first time they faced the National University Bulldogs, but the result was still the same, a loss, 83-74, Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The Bulldogs unleashed a 90-55 thrashing of the Red Warriors when these two teams met in the first game of UAAP Season 75, but things were tighter in this outing, with UE hanging around for much of the game.  The Warriors in fact staged a late comeback, but could not draw closer than four points. "We didn't play well today. We struggled and the game came down to the last few minutes. It's a good thing our other players stepped up," said NU coach Eric Altamirano. The Bulldogs were lethargic to start the game and committed unforced errors on the offensive end. Meanwhile, the Warriors' frenetic energy paid off as they got a few opportunities in the open court. Despite two early blocks by Henri Betayene, UE kept coming at the rim. A pair of fastbreak lay-ups by Gene Belleza and Roi Sumang put the Warriors ahead, 6-5, halfway through the first period. Finding their range, Sumang then nailed consecutive triples from the right wing, and Chris Javier followed with a jumper in the lane. But NU kept pace with the rally, answering with a Denice Villamor three-ball and consecutive lay-ins by Jeoff Javillonar to keep within striking distance, 14-12. The Warriors, however, couldn't find the hole in the last three minutes. Meanwhile, Bobby Ray Parks made four straight to pull NU ahead after one, 16-14. A quick three-ball by Robin Rono and a lay-up by Mark De Guzman sent UE into an early timeout at the start of the second period. They regrouped and scored nine unanswered to take the lead, 23-21. The two sides battled back-and-forth for the rest of the second period, with NU edging ahead. Six straight by Gelo Alolino and Kyle Neypes made it a 37-30 game for NU, 1:29 left, but Gene Belleza ended with five straight to pull his side within a deuce, 37-35 at the break. The same frenetic energy carried over into the third, where Sumang, Javier and Adrian Santos scored easily in the paint in a 6-2 spurt to briefly take the lead, 41-39. But NU seemingly broke the game wide open with a 19-4 run over a six-minute span. UE managed the final say however, as Adrian Santos scored to make it 58-47 with 10 minutes left to play. Santos and Roi Sumang put up five unanswered for UE at the dawn of the fourt hperiod to get within six, but their rally was quickly extinguished by nine-straight NU points, giving them a 15-point lead, 67-52. But the Warriors were not prepared to bow down just yet. Javier's forays at the rim gave UE five straight, followed by Sumido's and-one. Officials chalked up a technical foul to NU coach Eric Altamirano for continuous complaining to that call, and Sumang hit both resulting charities for 10 unanswered points, 67-62, with 5:39 remaining. A fuming Parks converted an and-one for the Bulldogs, but Sumido countered with a three-ball on the next possession. The wingman poured in six points from deep in an ensuing 8-4 flurry, but NU gained some breathing room when Betayene put back an Alolino miss, 76-70, with 1:42 remaining. Javillonar sank a jumper to bring the lead back to eight, and UE could not recover after that. The Bulldogs went on to outscore the Warriors 8-4 the rest of the way. "It was hard not to have Jean [Mbe] on the floor, he's the anchor of the team. We just want to get him healthy for the next game," said Parks. Altamirano said Mbe suffered a hip injury in their recent loss against UST. At the moment, the Bulldogs say they're not concerned about how the other Final Four contenders are performing. "All our game from now on are important, but we want to run our own race," added Altamirano. "We know our goals and we want to focus on them. We don't want to think about the standings of the other teams." Bobby Ray Parks scored 21 points, six rebounds and eight assists for the Bulldogs. Big men Henri Betayene and Jeoff Javillonar had 11 points apiece and combined for 17 rebounds. Gelo Alolino added 10 points and four assists. All of the Warriors' starters scored in double digits, but they got no support from their bench, which scored a pitiful two points. Chris Javier led UE with 19 points. Roi Sumang had 17, and Sumido and Belleza added 15 and 11, respectively. Adrian Santos chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds. The Warriors were soundly beaten on the boards, 53-26, including a 21-6 margin on the offensive glass. They did, however, edge NU in turnover points, 23-18. With the win, NU improved to 6-4, staying a half-game behind the 6-3 DLSU Green Archers, while UE slumped to 1-8. - AMD, GMA News The scores: NU 83: Parks 21, Javillonar 11, Betayene 11, Alolino 10, Rono 9, Neypes 8, De Guzman 7, Villamor 6, Singh 0, Rosario 0, Labing-isa 0, Khobuntin 0 UE 74: Javier 19, Sumang 17, Sumido 15, Belleza 11, Santos 10, Olayon 2, Villarias 0, Valdez 0, Hernandez 0, Galanza 0, Flores 0, Duran 0 Quarter scoring: 16-14, 37-35, 58-47, 83-74