Simon Atkins Leads Green Archers Over Tamarraws

SIMON Atkins bucked a nasty cut above his left eye to lift La Salle to a stunning 80-66 conquest of league-leading Far Eastern University and solidify its hold of fourth spot heading into the crucial last two weeks of elimination round competition in the UAAP.

Atkins suffered the cut after colliding with RR Garcia in the first quarter and had to leave the game to get medical attention. The cut required three stitches to close, but it seemed to fire up the Archers’ captain as he went on to scatter 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, including 10 in the payoff period where DLSU outscored FEU 26-9.

UE Subdues Defending Champs

APPARENTLY, the University of the East is in it to win it.

James Martinez scored 22 points, including four three-point bombs in the fourth quarter, to lift the Red Warriors past Ateneo de Manila, 62-60 in UAAP Season 73 at the Araneta Coliseum last Thursday, August 26.

It was a reversal of roles from their first encounter where Ateneo erased a UE lead in the fourth quarter. With Ateneo up by seven at the beginning of the payoff period, Martinez opened up Ateneo’s perimeter defense by nailing four of his six threes on a day where he shot 60 percent from beyond the arc.

Unbeaten Eaglets, Bullpups collide

Defending champion Ateneo de Manila University and vastly improved National University put their unbeaten records on the line today as they battle for supremacy in the UAAP juniors basketball tournament at the San Juan Arena.

Both sporting identical 4-0 cards, the Eaglets and the Bullpups dispute the top spot when they meet in the 9 a.m. curtain-raiser of another thrilling four-game bill halfway into the first round of competition.

Later in the day, Far Eastern University-FERN takes on Adamson University at 10:45 a.m., followed by the 1 p.m. clash between the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the East. De La Sa-Zobel and the hard-luck University of the Philippines Integrated School wrap up today’s hostilities in the main game at 2:45 p.m.

The Eaglets are coming off a 78-61 whipping of the unpredictable Baby Falcons on Saturday behind the 23-point explosion of Ateneo big man Von Pessumal, who ably relieved main man Kiefer Ravena of the scoring load via an impressive 8-of-13 clip from the field.

Adamson Falcons escape UST Tigers

Adamson University survived the high-wire three-point sniping of an unrelenting University of Santo Tomas (UST) down the stretch to eke out a tough 75-71 win yesterday in the 73rd UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Philsports Arena.

Veteran point guard Lester Alvarez typified the Falcons’ endgame composure in a break-neck second-half duel with the Tigers, who held a 63-60 lead with less than five minutes gone by in the pay-off period.

The third-year Adamson sentinel nailed five straight points anchored on a triple and a squeeze-in lay-up in the crucial 1:34 mark of the fourth to wrest the upperhand for the Falcons, 67-65, before finalizing the count from the stripe.