UAAP: Warriors snatch win from tenacious Bulldogs, 70-66

Games on Saturday Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Manila 2 p.m. - UP vs DLSU 4 p.m. - FEU vs ADMU The University of the East (UE) Red Warriors had to dig deep in its bag of tricks to pull off a hard-earned 70-66 victory over the never-say-die National University (NU) Bulldogs in Thursday's second game of the 70th UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. This 10th victory for the Recto-based cagers further solidified their hold on the top spot in the men's standings and put more distance between them and second placer De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, who have a 7-3 card for the tournament. For the Bulldogs, it was a sorry loss as they came so close to defeating a UE Red Warriors team who are gunning for a sweep of the 14-game double-round eliminations, which was last done by the UST Growling Tigers in 1993. Unlike in the Tigers' case, wherein they automatically grabbed the UAAP basketball crown after sweeping the games, the Warriors can automatically clinche a finals berth if they manage to win their last four games to avoid competing in the Final Four phase of the tournament. The Warriors' last four assignments will be against the Adamson Falcons on Sunday, the UP Fighting Maroons on September 1, the De La Salle University Green Archers on September 8, and the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws on September 13. The defeat, meanwhile, was costly for the Bulldogs of coach Manny Dandan as they dropped to sixth place in the men's standings with their fifth loss in 10 games. The Warriors' superstar point guard Marcy Arellano was named best player for makling 14 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and three steals for his team. Athletic forward Hans Thiele also came up big for the Warriors, scoring seven quality points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Arellano's value to Dindo Pumaren's team became evident especially in the last minute of the fourth period when he nailed three crucial freebies and two important steals that broke the backs of the Bulldogs and seal the victory for the Red Warriors. The Warriors were leading by just a point, 67-66, after a put-back by big man Barry Llagas off an offensive rebound. Then Arellano stole the ball from the hands of Bulldog point guard Jonathan Jahnke while he was about to cross the midcourt line. Arellano was then fouled while driving for a layup and sent to the line, with 6.2 seconds left in the game. Ignoring the pressure, Arellano canned his free throws to up UE's lead to three points at 69-66. With no timeouts left, the Bulldogs were forced to try a long inbounds pass, but they committed a costly turnover. Arellano, who averaged 9.7 points, three rebounds, and four assists in nine games, was then fouled by NU with three seconds left. He made one of his two freebies to seal the victory. The game was close from start to finish, with the biggest lead being registered by UE at nine points, 67-58, after a basket by Arellano with under four minutes left in the fourth period. The Warriors led at the half, 35-30, although the Bulldogs shot better from the field – 10 of 34 compared to the Warriors' 12 of 43. The Warriors had more rebounds, 38 compared to the Bulldogs' 24. The Red Warriors also had more assists, eight against the Bulldogs' four. The Warriors' biggest lead came in the first half came in the early goings of the second period when they erected a seven-point bubble after a three-pointer by big-man Mark Borboran, putting the score at 35-28. The third quarter saw them Warriors erecting an eight-point bubble at 41-33 as the Bulldogs failed to make a single basket in the first few minutes. The Bulldogs' first five points in the quarter actually came via the charity stripe. The Bulldogs, however, stepped up on their defense and began hitting their shots, closing the quarter with a 12-5 run that put the score at 46-45. The Bulldogs registered their biggest lead in the early goings of the fourth period, with guard Dave Catamora scoring on an unmolested shot to his team a three-point lead at 53-50. Meanwhile, UAAP hostilities resume on Saturday with the still winless UP Fighting Maroons (0-8) facing the Green Archers at 2 p.m. The Ateneo Blue Eagles, who is currently on three-game losing streak, will face the FEU Tamaraws in the main game at 4 p.m. The Fighting Maroons suffered an 85-66 beating in the hands of the Bulldogs last August 11, while DLSU is currently on a two-game winning steak with their last victory against the Falcons. The Eagles, who are currently in fifth place with a 4-4 record, hope to bounce back from a sorry 73-68 loss against UE last August 12. The loss, incidentally, was the third straight for the Eagles and its coach Norman Black. The Tamaraws, meanwhile, also hope to get back on the winning track after a 74-66 loss to the Archers last Sunday. Quarter scores (UE-NU): : 13-all, 35-30, 46-45, 70-66 70th UAAP season Men's Basketball Standings UE: 10-0 DSLU: 7-3 UST: 5-4 FEU: 5-4 ADMU: 4-4 NU: 4-5 ADU: 1-9 UP: 0-8

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