UAAP Finals: UE thumps Ateneo 88-68

A sea of blue could not drown the spirits of the UE Red Warriors yesterday as they exacted revenge from a game one loss to the Ateneo Blue Eagles, making the 72nd UAAP finals even, 1-1.

The clinical precision of Ateneo's offense was negated by UE as the Warriors played with fiery determination—breaking down the Eagles' vaunted passing and triangle offense by clogging lanes, double-teams and implementing a trapping defense.

The Warriors caught fire early, leading by five points during stretches of the first and second quarters, but faltered late in the first half, with Ateneo leading 40-38 during halftime.

The game broke open in the third quarter when the Eagles couldn't stop the trio of Pari Llagas, Elmer Espiritu and Paul Lee, resulting in a ten point lead heading to the fourth quarter, 63-53.

From there, the Warriors were never threatened as they rolled to an 88-68 win, capped by an impressive alley-oop play straight from NBA Live by Lee, who passed from the top of the key to Espiritu, slamming the rock home with two hands.

Notes:

• The MVP and Mythical Five awards were given before the game started.
  
  Season Most Valuable Player: Dylan Ababou (UST)
  Mythical Five: Paul Lee (UE), Dylan Ababou (UST), Elmer Espiritu (UE), Aldrech Ramos (FEU), Rabeh al-Hussaini (Ateneo)
  Rookie of the Year: Jeric Teng (UST)
  
  
• I felt that UE took a lot of forced shots and some players lacked discipline handling the ball and were impatient on offense. This could have led to a comeback by Ateneo, but UE's defense was very good, allowing few easy shots.
  
  The Warriors were swarming the floor, with the guards trapping and pressuring the backcourt, and little-used Tagarda providing defensive hustle off the bench.
  
  
• Rabeh al-Hussaini was brilliant with his mid-range jumpers, fed by a triangle offense that knew how to get the ball to him ala-Spurs and Tim Duncan. Rabeh is too tall for the Warriors—they can't reach him when he elevates for his shot.
  
  UE responded by throwing double-teams at him and sometimes making a small man cover him to make him uncomfortable, reminiscent of Detroit making Corliss Williamson defend Shaquille O'Neal during the 2004 NBA Finals.
  
  Rabeh was also negated and frustrated by Pari Llagas, a traditional back to the basket big man with an array of moves that puts a lot of centers to shame and a basketball IQ that goes beyond the roof.
  
  
• Ateneo's offense is very precise and team-oriented, while UE relied more on individual brilliance and a lot of heart in Game 2. Llagas and Lee broke down the defense a lot of times, while Espiritu bombed away from the three-point line, nailing four out of five attempts.
  
  I have no doubt that Ateneo Coach Norman Black will come up with adjustments to try and win it all on Thursday, 2009 October 8, but can they overcome UE's defense? Can UE keep the fire burning and sustain their effort? We'll see.
  

Boxscore:

UE 88
Espiritu 22, Llagas 19, Lee 13, Acuña 12, Lingganay 7, Reyes 6, Zamar 5, Duran 4, Tagarda 0, Bandaying 0.

ATENEO 68
Al-Hussaini 18, Monfort 12, Reyes 11, Baclao 10, Austria 6, Salamat 4, Long 3, Chua 2, Buenafe 2, Sumalinog 0, Salva 0.

Quarters:
18-15, 38-40, 63-53, 88-68


Links:

Inquirer article (from where the photo was swiped):
Warriors forge rubber match

Wikipedia:
UAAP Season 72