UAAP: Parks, NU start season with win over defending champs Ateneo

(Updated 6:33 pm) The National University Bulldogs took care of business against the five-time defending champs Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, 64-54, Sunday, in the first elimination round of the UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

[Read the play-by-play of this game here]

National U hounded the undersized Eagles on the defensive end, limiting the defending champions to perimeter attempts for most of the game. The Bulldogs went on a 22-4 run spanning the middle quarters, before shutting down their foes early in the final period, where they led by as much as 24 points.

The Eagles however put up a fight in the last four minutes as a late three-point barrage by Nico Elorde and Juami Tiongson spurred a 16-2 run, to trail 61-51 on a reverse lay-up by Ryan Buenafe with two minutes on the clock. But Ray Ray Parks quelled the storm with a triple on the other end to deliver the Bulldogs their first W of the season.

It was the Bulldogs' first win over Ateneo in the UAAP tourney, since their second round meeting in Season 69, when the likes of Jonathan Fernandez and Jonathan Jahnke overwhelmed the Eagles 96-88 in overtime on September 15, 2007.

Parks led all scorers with 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Jean Mbe notched 14 points and 15 rebounds, while Dennice Villamor added 13 points, 12 off 3-of-5 long distance shooting.

After the game, coach Eric Altamirano was less than enthusiastic about the victory. "We didn't end on a high note. Somehow our defense relaxed and we allowed them to get their bearing with their outside shots," he said. "But I felt we did a good job stopping that momentum.

"We had 23 turnovers and most of them happened in the fourth. We really want to correct this, it's one of the things we want to correct this season," he said. In contrast, the Eagles committed just 16 turnovers, but still lost the turnover points tally, 17-12.

The game got off to a rough start but early on, Ryan Buenafe and Ray Ray Parks were the focal points of their respective teams' offense. Ateneo took a 9-7 edge as Buenafe fed Frank Golla beneath the basket, countering a Parks trey.

With three and a half minutes to play, Kiefer Ravena checked in to provide the Eagles a lift. Instead the Bulldogs had the final say, as Parks and Jeoff Javillonar nailed a triple each for a closing 8-2 run, 15-10.

Poy Erram showed good movement around the basket to keep Ateneo close for much of the second quarter, while also helping contain the Bulldogs' aggressive play. Their unforced turnovers also allowed the Eagles to catch up, 18-17, on charities by Gwynne Capacio off a foiled fast break attempt.

National U made amends on the defensive end in the latter half of the period, forcing the Eagles to take contested shots from the outside. On the other end they tore up the Ateneo using a 15-4 run, featuring six markers by Jean Mbe and bracketed by perimeter makes by Dennice Villamor, giving them a 33-21 advantage after two quarters.

At halftime, the Bulldogs were shooting 12-of-32 (37.5 percent) while holding Ateneo to 8-of-36 (22.2 percent), including a 1-of-17 mark from beyond the arc (5.9 percent). NU also led 7-0 in second-chance points.

The Bulldogs didn't stop entering the third quarter, taking advantage of slow defensive rotations for seven unanswered points, 40-21, highlighted by another Villamor trey. Ateneo called for time just three minutes into the frame and stemmed the tide with their zone defense, while Chris Newsome and other Ateneo guards made headway going to the hoop, 46-29, with under four minutes to play.

At around the 3:20 mark, Nico Elorde and Javillonar collided while going for a loose ball. Javillonar appeared to hook Elorde with one arm as they fell to the ground, while punching him in the face with his free hand. Elorde had to be benched due to a nosebleed, while no penalty was called on Javillonar.

Both teams would only score once more in the quarter, as a Juami Tiongson trey offset charities by Parks, 48-32, heading into the final period.

The Bulldogs raced to their widest lead of the game with another 11-2 barrage, capped by a Villamor triple, 59-35. But the Eagles refused to fall just yet as Tiongson and Elorde nailed three straight treys, combining for a 14-2 run, 61-49, with three minutes to play.

After an unforced error by Parks, Buenafe scooped a reverse lay-up with two minutes remaining to make it a single-digit game. But Parks made amends by nailing a triple on the other end, putting the game out of Ateneo's reach.

The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 23-of-61 (37.7 percent), while Ateneo shot 20-of-72 (27.8 percent). Ateneo finished shooting 7-of-33 (21.2 percent) from beyond the arc in contrast to National U's 7-of-21 clip (33.3 percent).

National U also won the rebounding battle, 52-39.

Juami Tiongson led the Eagles with 13 points. Nico Elorde and Ryan Buenafe added 10 points and combined for 11 rebounds. Buenafe also added four assists and five steals. Chris Newsome tallied nine points and 10 rebounds.

It was reported last week that Ravena sprained his ankle off the court and was questionable for tonight's game. Last night Ravena tweeted that he would play, but head coach Bo Perasol later relayed that he would sit out as a precautionary measure. Ravena nevertheless played just eight minutes, all in the first half, and scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.

National U center Alfred Aroga did not suit up today. Altamirano said that the Bulldogs management chose to keep him off the court until he clears his documentary requirements with the UAAP board. - CLP, GMA News


The scores:

NU 64: Parks 22, Mbe 14, Villamor 13, Javillonar  5, Alolino 4, Rosario 2, Khobuntin 2, Alejandro 2, Rono 0, De Guzman 0

ADMU 54: Tiongson 13, Elorde 10, Buenafe 10, Newsome 9, Erram 4, Ravena 2, Pessumal 2, Golla 2, Capacio 2, Tolentino 0, Babilonia 0

Quarter scores: 15-10, 33-21, 48-32, 64-54