Eaglets rebound, close in on jr crown

MANILA, Philippines - Foiled on its sweep bid the last time out, Ateneo got back at defending champion National U, 78-76, to move a victory away from the UAAP Season 77 juniors’ basketball crown yesterday at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

Determined to bounce back from their 72-76 loss in the finals opener, the Blue Eaglets stormed to a 15-point margin in the third quarter and held off the Bullpups down the stretch to secure the triumph and close in on the diadem.

“It was a good bounce back win,” said AdMU coach Joe Silva, whose wards got stunned by NU last Friday after steamrolling the opposition in the 14-game elims for an outright championship berth.

“In Game One, we were really right; we were so excited. We wanted to win but we forgot how we did it. I told the boys to just enjoy the game, to do things right, and do what we do best inside the court – sharing the ball and playing defense,” he added.

The Eaglets will shoot for the title on Friday, also at the San Juan venue.

Jolo Mendoza rifled in 20 points and issued three assists to pace mythical team member Matthew Nieto, who chipped in 18 and the same number of assists and Season MVP Mike Nieto, who dished out 16 markers, 12 rebounds and three feeds. Gian Mamuyac added 10.

Philip Manalang fired 19 to lead the way for NU, which got the usual numbers from Mythical 5 center Mark Dyke (12 points, 16 boards).

From a slim 52-50 count, the Eaglets detonated a 13-0 bomb sparked by Mendoza and Mamuyac to seize control at 65-60, ending the penultimate period with a 67-54 spread.

The Nieto twins cashed in on their respective charities down the stretch as Ateneo grabbed a 78-73 cushion and quashed NU’s uprising.

The scores:

AdMU 78 – Mendoza 20, Ma. Nieto 18, Mi.  Nieto 16, Mamuyac 10, Ildefonso 6, Andrade 4, Joson 2, Ramos 2, Hassan 0, Salandanan 0, Eustaquio 0, Rosales 0, Bernardo 0.

NU 76 – Manalang 19, Dyke 12, Clemente 12, Baltazar 10, Ferreras 8, Mina 7, Sta. Ana 6, de Guzman 2, Calma 0, Claveria 0, Atienza 0, Camaso 0, Callejo 0, Saquian 0.

Quarterscores: 19-18, 40-36, 67-54, 78-76.