UAAP: ADMU vs UE preview and live-scoring (round 2)

Game starts at 2pm. Page auto-refreshes every 30 seconds. First round meeting: Defending champs Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles flashed their defensive prowess in their first round meeting against the University of the East Red Warriors by holding their foes to just five third-quarter points, on route to a 68-51 win last August 4 at SM MOA Arena.   Feisty play by the Red Warriors meant they trailed by just three points after the first half, 37-34, with UE even leading earlier in the second period, 25-23, after a Chris Javier score down low.   Early in the third, UE sliced their deficit to a solitary point twice, on a Roi Sumang drive and a split at the foul line by Javier, but in the remaining seven minutes, Ateneo would concede just two more points from their foes, as they closed out the quarter on a 16-2 run, to go up 54-39.   As if that were not enough, the Blue Eagle reserves then proceeded to blank UE for three minutes, scoring eight more markers to make it a 62-39 advantage. The Red Warriors countered with an 11-2 run to get within 14, but with a little over a minute and a half remaining in the game, the writing was on the wall, and Ateneo’s third-stringers were able to close things out.     Key stats: UE actually out-shot Ateneo early on in the game, 45.2 percent versus 42.9 percent, and the Blue Eagles needed a 20-6 advantage in free throw attempts to stay ahead by three markers at the break.   Things went the other way for the Blue Eagles though in the third, when they held the Red Warriors to just 2-of-18 shooting from the field, or 11.1 percent. Ateneo didn’t even need to get out on the break in that period (0 fast break points) to outscore their foes 17-5.   Armed with a big lead early in the fourth, Ateneo go to rest their starting unit, allowing the second and third string guys to close out the game. As a result, no Ateneo player played more than 24 minutes.   Despite the 17-point victory, Ateneo actually didn't play that well, a frightening prospect for their opponent. The Eagles finished that match shooting 1-for-11 from beyond the arc and 19-of-29 from the foul line. They've made seven triples in each of their last two games, and are normally the best free throw shooting team, converting 75 percent of their attempts. Luckily for UE though, they too have been playing better, with head coach Boysie Zamar establishing a rotation and sticking to it. The team has also been going more often to center Chris Javier, with the results paying off. He's norming 19.5 points on 65.2 percent shooting, along with seven rebounds over the past two games.     ADMU needs to: Get out to a big start and hold the lead, especially against a team near the bottom of the standings like UE. In their last game versus DLSU, the Blue Eagles kicked off with a 26-10 first quarter, but slowly allowed their arch-rivals to crawl back, getting to within two points in the third period. The UE defense will likely involve stopping Ryan Buenafe, after his career-high 24 points in that game, which means he could take on the role of facilitator, getting the ball to open teammates when doubled.   UE needs to: Get production from multiple sources. After beginning the season as a "Roi Sumang and friends" type squad, Chris Javier has stepped up as mentioned, as have guys like JR Sumido. But in their last two games, the UE bench has scored 0 points versus NU, and 12 against UP. They will need someone like Erwin Duran or Mark Olayon to produce, or it will be tough for them to hang with the high-octane Ateneo offense.   ADMU projected starting five: Ryan Buenafe (24 points on 3/9 3pt, 8/16 FG, 8 rebounds vs DLSU), Kiefer Ravena, Nico Salva, Juami Tiongson, Greg Slaughter   UE projected starting five: Chris Javier (20 points, 1/1 3pt, 8/19 FG, 9 rebounds, 1 block vs UP), Roi Sumang, Gene Belleza, Adrian Santos, JR Sumido