NEWS ARCHIVE - 2008 FILOIL FLYING V PRE-SEASON INVITATIONAL CUP ADM, DLS prepare for showdown Games on Saturday (The Arena) Archrivals De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila renew a decades-old basketball rivalry tomorrow at The Arena in San Juan, and while there is really nothing at stake except for bragging rights, expect the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles to slug it out from the opening buzzer until the final shot is made. For one, a huge crowd is expected to jam The Arena’s every inch of available space, starting with the gym’s parking, and inside the gym itself. And with their bands and cheerers in attendance, the atmosphere should approximate that of a UAAP regular game. Virgil Villavicencio, former La Salle coach and one of three commissioners (the other being Aric del Rosario and Ato Badolato) said tickets for the game are "selling like pancakes" and expects every ticket to be sold out by the time the opening buzzer sounds. Tomorrow’s schedule starts with an appetizer, pitting juniors teams La Salle Green Hills and Ateneo High School at 1 p.m., to be followed by the La Salle-Ateneo game at 4 o’clock. National University and University of the Philippines cap the day when they clash at 6 p.m. But there is another good reason why the La Salle-Ateneo match is worth checking out, as the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles may end up in the finals. Presently, Ateneo, which carries a 4-2 (win-loss) card, has the best quotient in Group A of 1.1 followed by University of the East (5-2), with a 1.09 quotient and Adamson (5-2), with 1.02. Group A’s No. 4 team is JRU. In Group B, La Salle (5-1) also lords it over the field with a 1.23 quotient followed by San Beda (6-1) with 1.16 and Far Eastern University (1.14). The No. 4 team in Group B is Mapua. So in case Ateneo wins over La Salle, the Blue Eagles stay at the top spot in Group A. The same goes for a win by La Salle. A loss by either team will drop it back to the No. 3 on their respective groups. Either way, the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles will still have to win over their opponents in the quarterfinals slated on June 11, where the No. 1 team battles the No. 4 squad, and the No. 2 team takes on the No. 3 team within the same group. If they get past their quarterfinals rivals, they still have to make it past the other surviving team in their group. Only after they disposed of their semis opponent that they’ll be meeting for the second time with a bigger stake — as champions of the 2nd edition of the league. FEU survives UE rally Far Eastern University warded off the spirited comeback of University of the East yesterday, 84-82, in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup at The Arena in San Juan City. Banking on a well-balanced attack, the Tamaraws appeared to have sewn up the game when they led by nine, 84-75, with 27.4 ticks to go. But the Red Warriors, the losing finalists in the UAAP last season, refused to give up and wheeled back into the contest behind three big defensive stops. The first was transformed by Marcy Arellano into a huge triple that pushed them to within 7884 with 15 ticks left. Two more steals by UE allowed Toto Bandaying and Arellano to score two quick baskets to put the Red Warriors within striking distance, 82-84, with 2.5 ticks to go. They also forced the Tamaraws to turn the ball for the
fourth time but they had only one second left to complete the play. In the second game, San Sebastian College outplayed San Beda College in overtime, 87-82. Dave najorda, who topscored with 22 points, scattered six points in the extra five minutes to help the Stags hand the Lions their first loss in seven outings. Regulation play ended in a 75-75 deadlock after Jim Viray sank a triple in the closing seconds. The win, San Sebastian’s third in seven games, bolstered the Stags’ bid for a quarterfinals berth as they claimed a share of fourth spot with idle Jose Rizal College in Group A. The Scores UE 82 — Arellano 17, Llagas 16, Bandaying 14, Martinez
13, Espiritu 10, Thiele 5, Reyes 3, Etrone 2, Lee 2, Duran 0. Second Game Quarters: 19-13, 30-44, 57-56, 75-75 (Reg.), 87-82 (OT). The Arena braces for Ateneo-La Salle match On June 7, defending champion De La Salle University and archrival Ateneo de Manila clash for the first time to cap the elimination round of the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup at The Arena in San Juan. While both teams have already secured quarterfinals berths, with the Green Archers tied for second place in Group B with a 5-1 card, and the Blue Eagles also tied with Adamson in Group A with a 4-2 mark, college basketball fans can still expect an all-out war in a continuing rivalry between two of the country’s premiere collegiate teams. And in anticipation of the huge crowd that will come in droves this coming weekend, league organizers have sought the assistance of the city’s top officials, led by San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito. The good mayor of San Juan readily responded to the plea for help and has already started clearing the Shrine area located immediately beside The Arena’s four-storey parking area. With this, fans with vehicles can now use the four-storey parking area, the existing parking area with a capacity of 250 vehicles, and the newly-cleared area behind the four-story parking space. Before the La Salle-Ateneo game scheduled on that day, also scheduled is the match between their junior teams – the La Salle Greenhills squad vs the Blue Eaglets. On Sunday, June 8, the NU Bulldogs battle the UP Maroons as they end their campaign in the nearly three-month long elimination round. For fans who will be unable to watch the games at the Arena, they can watch the La Salle-Ateneo match over Solar Sports, Basketball TV and RPN 9, which will carry the games live. Tickets for the Saturday and Sunday games (June 7-8) will be available starting on Wednesday, June 4, at all Ticketnet outlets at SM Malls or at the Araneta Coliseum. San Beda keeps win streak Ogie Menor and Pong Escobal finished with 18 and 13 points to lead the scoring parade for San Beda, but it was JR Tecson who stood out in the end as the Red Lions turned back National University, 79-71, yesterday in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup at The Arena in San Juan. Tecson, who only had eight points in the contest, scored two huge treys in the final 40 seconds to key San Beda’s escape against a surprisingly tough Bulldogs squad, and clinch its sixth straight win in the tournament backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Padi’s Point, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Burlington, Tanduay, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc., Diamond Purified Drinking Water, official ball Nike and official after sportswear Happy Feet. The Bulldogs, who were led by Jessie Garcias game-high 27 points, fell to 2-4 and need to win their last game in the eliminations to forge a tie with Jose Rizal University for the no. 4 spot. The Bulldogs, who forced a 22-22 tie after the first quarter, played tough throughout and kept pace with the Lions and even threatened to within 45-49 midway on a trey from Jessie Garcias. Raymund Aguilar had also 17 points for NU. The Bulldogs, perhaps playing their best game in the tournament, even took the lead, 69-68, on a jumper from Aguilar, with 4:33 remaining. Rico Maierhofer and JV Casio stepped up bigtime in overtime as De La Salle University outsteadied Adamson University, 68-63 in the second game. Maierhofer, who led La Salle with 17, tossed in eight points in the extension, including a short jumper in the dying seconds for a 67-63 spread after Adamson’s Jerick Cañada split his charities on the other end to put the Falcons to within two, 63-65. Casio had earlier scored two to make it a 65-62 count with 34.6 seconds to go, before Canada split his charities. Maierhofer actually got La Salle’s offensive going starting the extension off a jumper for a 59-56 lead, after Malabes split his charities fo a 57-56 count. Regulation ended at 56-all. Casio added 14 for La Salle, while PJ Barua had eight. Allan Santos led Adamson with 13. With the win, La Salle improved to 5-1, while Adamson dropped to 4-2 in a tie with Ateneo in Group A. The Scores First Game NU 71 — Garcias 27, Aguilar 14, Ponferrada 7, Berry 7, Dela Cruz 6, Luy 4, Catamora 4, Jhanke 2. Quarterscores: 22-22, 42-36, 62-57, 79-71. Second Game ADAMSON 63 — Santos 13, Galinato 10, Alvarez 9, Margallo 6, Canada 5, Gorospe 4, Colina 3, Lozada 1. Quarterscores: 19-20, 35-32, 45-46, 56-56, 68-63 (OT) La Salle vs Adamson Games Today (The Arena) Defending champion De La Salle University battles dangerous Adamson University, one of two teams left on its schedule before the start of the quarterfinals, in today’s main feature in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup at The Arena. With a 4-1 card, the Green Archers are assured of one of four quarterfinals berth in Group B, and a win over the Falcons will put them in a tie for second spot with Far Eastern University (5-1) behind solo leader San Beda College (5-0). De La Salle and Adamson clash in the 4 p.m. match, immediately after De La Salle and National University collide at 2 p.m. in today’s doubleheader in the tournament backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Padi’s Point, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Burlington, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc., Diamond Purified Drinking Water and official ball The Green Archers won without breaking a sweat last week
after the Letran Knights defaulted their match. But the Taft-based dribblers will be tested by the Falcons, who have quietly climbed to second spot in Group A with a 4-1 card behind University of the East (5-1) and ahead of Ateneo de Manila (4-2). Archers, Knights relive rivalry Back after a long rest, defending champion De La Salle University takes on a razor-sharp Letran College in the featured match of today’s tripleheader in the 2nd Filoil Flying V PreSeason Invitational Cup at The Arena in San Juan. The Green Archers last played on May 7 against the University of the East, dropping a 67-69 heartbreaker, their first after stringing three straight victories. Still, with three games left in their elimination round assignments, the Archers have the inside track for one of four slots in the quarterfinals in Group B. A win by the De La Salle in today’s 4 p.m. game against the Knights will tie it for the top spot with Far Eastern University at 4-1, following the Tamaraws’ upset loss, 73-63, to Adamson University late last night. But the Knights, eyeing a similar quarterfinal slot in Group A, will go for broke for a win today to strengthen their grip on the fourth spot behind University of the East (4-0), Ateneo (4-2) and Adamson (4-2). Today’s other games in this tournament also backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Padi’s Point, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Burlington, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc., Diamond Purified Drinking Water and official ball Nike pit National University (1-3) against College of St. Benilde (2-2) at 2 p.m., and UE against winless University of Perpetual Help-Dalta System at 6 p.m. Tams seek solo lead vs Bulldogs MANILA, Philippines—Far Eastern University eyes the solo lead in Group B while University of the East seeks a follow-up to its win over De La Salle University last week at the resumption of the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup at The Arena in San Juan City on Monday. The Tamaraws take on the National University Bulldogs at 4 p.m. after the UE Warriors-Mapua Cardinals tussle in the 2 p.m. opener. FEU and reigning NCAA champion San Beda College share the Group B lead at 3-0. San Sebastian College meets College of St. Benilde in the 6 p.m. match. The Warriors, the only unbeaten team in Group A at 2-0, are coming off a 69-67 nipping of the Green Archers last week. It was sort of a revenge for the Recto-based dribblers who swept the 14-game elimination round in the UAAP last year only to be swept by the Archers in the best-of-three championship. The Cardinals, toting a 3-2 card in Group B, beat the Stags, 98-76, also last week. Allan Mangahas made 20 points and Erwin Cornejo added 15 in that match that saw the Cards silence the Stags’ key players in the second half. UE will rely on its arsenal of shooters, led by Hans Thiele, Marcy Arellano, Narciso Llagas and James Martinez, who also have to work hard to offset the Cards’ constricting defense. Meanwhile, organizers said that Burlington Bio-Fresh will give away prizes to winners of their puzzle game during the halftime breaks on Monday. Steve Silva, contributor. Tamaraws rap Stags Far Eastern University kept its composure in the fourth quarter to repulse San Sebastian, 77-73, for its third straight victory yesterday in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup at The Arena in San Juan. With Marnel Baracael leading the charge, the Tamaraws, got out of a 64-64 standoff with a13-7 run in the final 3:46 to secure the win that tied them with De La Salle and San Beda in Group B at 3-0. Baracael, who scored four points in that stretch, rounded out the scoring on two free throws off a desperation foul by Gilbert Bulawan in the dying seconds. The Stags, who drew a game-high 23 points from Raymund Maconocido, dropped to 2-3 (win-loss) in Group A of this tournament also backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Padi’s Point, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Burlington, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc., Diamond Purified Drinking Water and official ball Nike. San Sebastian, which was coming off a stinging 98-76 loss to the Mapua Cardinals last Monday, held their ground against the experienced Tamaraws in the first round before slowing down in the second round that the Morayta-based cagers take a 32-24 lead. Reil Cervantes finished with 16 points, Ricardo Cawaling had 12, while Baracael and Andy Barroca added 10 each for the Tamaraws, who also drew six rebounds and seven assists from Benedict Fernandez. Raymundo, who had 11 points, was the only double-digit scorer for the Stags, who had now lost two in a row. The scores First Game FEU 77 — Cervantes 16, Cawaling 12, Baracael 10, Barroca 10, Alispo 7, Fernandez 6, Kave 6, Knuttel 5, Adolfo 5, Ramos 2, Cabagnot 0, Tanuan 0, SSC 73 — Maconocido 23, Raymundo 11, Bulawan 8, Ballesteros 8, Saq uillo 4, Viray 4, Bringas 4, Najorda 4, Semira 2, Taha 0, Delgado 0. Quarters: 13-13; 32-24; 53-43; 77-73 UE Warriors get back at DLSU Archers GAMES MONDAY (The Arena, San Juan) MANILA, Philippines—University of the East finally got back at De La Salle University even if it’s in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup. Narciso Llagas tipped in a missed lay-up by Marcy Arellano in the dying seconds to lift the Warriors to a 69-67 victory over the Green Archers Wednesday in their first meeting since La Salle beat UE for the UAAP crown last year. With the game tied at 67-all with 22 seconds to go, Arellano stole the ball from JV Casio, and streaked to the basket for a layup that he missed. But Llagas was there to save the game for the Warriors, who picked up their second win in Group A at The Arena in San Juan City. The Warriors won all their 14 elimination-round matches in the 70th UAAP season only to lose in the finals to the Archers via a 2-0 sweep. Hans Paul Thiele led UE with 14 markers, while Llagas had 12. Casio topscored for La Salle with 20. The Archers dropped to 3-1 behind co-leaders San Beda College and Far Eastern University, which beat San Sebastian College, 77-73, in the opener for its third win in as many games. With Marnel Baracael leading the charge, the FEU Tamaraws broke a 64-64 deadlock to outscore the San Sebastian Stags, 13-7, in the final 3:46. The Stags dropped to 2-3 in Group A with their second straight defeat. In the nightcap, Adamson University edged University of the Philippines, 65-61, to raise its card to 2-1 in Group A. The Maroons joined idle University of Perpetual Help Altas at the cellar with a 0-4 mark. Jasmine Payo La Salle eyes solo Filoil lead Locked in a tie for the lead with San Beda College following an easy 73-64 victory over National University last Monday, De La Salle will be looking to grab the solo lead in Group B when it takes on University of the East in today’s featured match in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup at The Arena in San Juan. The Green Archers and the Warriors clash in the 4 p.m. match, with the Taft-based dribblers set to overtake San Beda in the standings after tying the Red Lions at 3-0 (win-loss). Far Eastern University, which tote a 2-0 card in Group B, eyes a third victory against San Sebastian in the 2 p.m. game, while Adamson University (1-1) meets University of the Philippines to cap the day at 6 p.m. in the tournament backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Burlington, Padi’s Point, Methathione, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Smart, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist Inc., Diamond Purified Water and official ball Nike. La Salle, which broke UE’s 14-game winning streak last year en route to clinching the UAAP crown, will be looking to repeat over the Warriors, who will be gunning for only its second win after a long rest. This time, though, there will be no sibling rivalry as Franz Pumaren has yet to come home after steering the RP Youth team to the championship in the SEABA tournament in Malaysia. Instead, it will be assistant coaches Tyrone Bautista and Dave Dichupa who will be calling the shots against UE’s Dindo Pumaren. Today’s La Salle-UE tiff will also boil down how the two teams veteran players perform against each other, with the Archers relying on Maui Villanueva, JV Casio, Rico Maierhofer and the Warriors counting on Marcy Arellano, Rudy Lingganay, Hans Paul Thiele, John Paul Lee and James Martinez. The Tamaraws, meanwhile, will try to get the most out of a solid line-up against the Stags, who are coming off a 98-76 loss to the Mapua Cardinals, also last Monday. The Falcons are also looking to improve a 1-1 card against the Maroons, who have yet to post a win after two games. San Beda keeps Filoil slate clean San Beda College needed only a quick, good run in the first quarter to fuel a runaway 76-63 win over Jose Rizal University and keep its unbeaten streak going even as College of St. Benilde surprised Letran with a 71-64 decision in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup yesterday at The Arena in San Juan. The Red Lions, drawing fire from starters Ogie Menor, JR Taganas, Sam Ekwe, Pong Escobal, Eric Gamalinda and Borgie Hermida, took a 26-16 lead before coasting to a 20-point spread in the first quarter to practically settle the outcome of the game. The win was the third straight for the NCAA champions in Group A of this tournament backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Padi’s Point, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc., and official ball Nike. The Heavy Bombers, who drew 11 points from Nathaniel Matute and 10 from James Ryan Sena, dropped to 1-3 in Group A. The Knights, playing without center Bryan Faundio, who was dropped from the team due to academic deficiency, came in cold and took the brunt of the Blazers’ blazing offense Jeffrey Morial led CSB with 11 points, while Aaron Paul Umlas, Jacob Christian Manlapaz and Harvey Porras chipped in 10 points apiece as the Blazers notched their first win in two starts. The highly-physical match also resulted in the ejection of Letran’s Rey Dangcal, who was slapped a disqualifying foul and will be meted a one-game suspension. RJ Razul and John Foronda led the Knights with 11 points each. The Red Lions stamped their class over from the opening buzzer, but made their biggest splash in the third, when Taganas, Ekwe and Menor combined for 12-points in a huge run to put San Beda on top by 20, 58-38. Gamalinda led San Beda with 15 while Ekwe finished with 10. The scores First Game CSB 71 — Morial 11, Umlas 10, Manlapaz 10, Porras 10, David 8, Montecastro 7, Abolucion 4, Dela Paz 4, Santos 4, Manalac 3, Wong 0, Johnston 0, Dino 0. Letran 64 — Gutilban 14, Jazul 11, Foronda 11, Daa 10, Cabonce 7, Guevarra 4, Ranises 3, Dangcal 2, Foronda 2, Latonio 0, Melegrito 0, Cortez 0. Quarters: 16-16, 36-34, 43-51, 70-64. Second Game San Beda 76 — Gamalinda 15, Hermida 13, Menor 12, Taganas 10, Ekwe 10, Escobal 7, Lanete 5, Villanueva 3, Marcelo 1, Udo 1. JRU 63 — Matute 11, Sena 10, Hayes 8, Lituania 7, Cagoco 7, Pradas 4, Nocom 4, Apinan 3, Njei 3, Kabigting 2, Agas 2, Bulangis 2. Quarters: 26-16, 41-27, 59-50, 76-63. Breakthrough for Adamson, NU in Filoil GAMES MONDAY (The Arena, San Juan) MANILA, Philippines - National University and Adamson University finally made their presence felt by posting their first wins in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup Wednesday at The Arena in San Juan City. The NU Bulldogs struck hardest in the fourth quarter and stormed past the University of Perpetual Help Dalta System Altas, 63-50, while the Adamson Falcons pulled off an 81-75 upset of the Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals. Trailing by five points, 38-43, entering the fourth quarter, NU came up with a 14-6 blitz courtesy of Edwin Asoro, Marco Baloran and Raymond Aguilar to grab the lead for good. It was the first win in three outings for the Bulldogs, who dealt the Altas a third straight defeat in Group B of this tournament which serves as preview of the coming collegiate basketball wars. Jan Julius Colina topscored with 15 points, Paul Gonzalgo had 14, and Allan Dominic Santos added 12 for the Falcons, who improved to 1-2 after pinning a second loss on the Cardinals in three starts in Group A. Reigning MVP Kelvin dela Peña scored 18 points to lead the Cardinals, who never missed an NCAA Final Four stint the past three seasons. The scores: First Game ADAMSON 81 - Colina 15, Gonzalgo 14, Santos 12, Alvarez 8, Yambot 7, Abustin 7, Galinato 6, Nuyles 5, Canada 4, Garape 3, Ruiz 0, Olalia 0, Lozada 0, Lapitan 0. MAPUA 75 - Dela Pena 18, Banal 16, Pascual PJ 12, Mangahas 7, Espinosa 7, Mazo 5, Sarangay 0, Palomique 0, Cornejo 0, Ranises 0, Soriano 0, Guillermo 0. Quarters: 17-13, 30-23, 53-43, 81-75 Second Game NU 63 - Galapon 13, Asoro 10, Aguilar 9, Dela Cruz 9, Baloran 6, Catamora 5, Jahnke 4, Ponferrada 4, Luy 2, Fabule 1. UPHR 50 - Balboa 12, Reyes 10, Kong M. 9, Ynion 8, Vivero 3, Dysam 3, Galabin 3, Salanga 2. Quarters: 11-9, 29-25, 43-38, 63-50 Filoil cage tilt resumes with triple-bill Games Today (The Arena) There's no way but up for the five teams coming off losses, as the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup resumes hostilities today with a triple-header at The Arena in San Juan. The first two games pit Mapua against Adamson, which both lost only two days ago, in the 12 noon match, while University of Perpetual Help and National University, also without win, clash at the 2 p.m. schedule. Far Eastern University, meanwhile, finally gets to see action at 4 p.m., against Jose Rizal University to cap the day in the two-month long tournament backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Mr. Softy, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc., Diamond Purified Drinking Water and official ball Nike. The Cards dropped a 68-73 decision to the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Wednesday for a 1-1 (win-loss) card, while Adamson later took an 80-63 beating at the hands of the San Beda Red Lions, losing its debut game for a 0-1 card in Group A. The Altas, meanwhile, eye a spot in the win column after absorbing back to back losses to Ateneo (67-91) and San Sebastian (79-84) last Wednesday. They will take on the Bulldogs, who lost to the Cards, 87-77, only a week ago. Mapua is slightly favored to notch its second win in three starts against Adamson, while the Altas and the Bulldogs have an even chance against each other. The Cards will again rely on the prolific Kevin dela Peña, with help coming from Allan Mangahas and Jonathan Banal. But focus on today's triple-header will be on the FEU Tamaraws, a team relatively left intact after last year’s UAAP wars, when they face the Heavy Bombers, who are nursing a 1-1 mark in Group A. JRU lost to defending champion La Salle in the opener, but bounced back hard against University of the Philippines, 71-67, Wednesday last week. Ateneo turns back Mapua five Ateneo chose to rest its rookies and turned to its grizzled warriors to repulse Mapua, 73-68, for its second win in three starts in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup before a sizeable crowd at The Arena yesterday. Old reliables Ahmed Al-Hussaini had 19 points, Chris Tiu scored 13 and Kirk Long added nine to lead the Blue Eagles to their second straight triumph while handing the Cards their first loss in two games. With the win, Ateneo climbed to the solo lead in Group A, while Mapua dropped to solo third (1-1) in Group B in this two-month long tournament backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Mr. Softy, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc., Diamond Purified Drinking Water and official ball Nike. Earlier, University of the East cruised past College of St. Benilde, 92-71, in a fight-marred game that saw two Blazers and a Warrior being ejected from the hardcourt for disqualifying fouls. Coach Ato Badolato and Virgil Villavicencio, two of the three commissioners supervising the league (the other being Aric del Rosario) said UE’s Gino Etrone and CSB’s Gari Keith Sevilla and Chuck Philip Dalanon will be meted one-game suspension each for fighting per league rules. The Blue Eagles didn’t give any quarters to the Cards, but were seriously threatened twice in the fourth quarter. Kevin del Pena, who topscored for Mapua with 28 points, buried a trey to ignite a 7-0 blast and shove the Cards to within 60-62 with 4:75 to go. But Ateneo rallied back behind Jai Reyes’ own trey and Al-Hussani’s jumper to put back the Eagles on top by seven, 67-60. Another short run anchored on Jonathan Banal had the Cards threatening anew at 65-67 at the 1:34 mark, but Al-Hussaini again came to Ateneo’s rescue with another short stab and Kirk Long split his charities for a 71-65 count. Roel Escueta rounded out the scoring with two charities for the final score. Ateneo rookie Justin Chua, one of the two rookies in Ateneo’s rotation yesterday, had seven in only his third game in the tournament. Two more matches – San Sebastian vs Perpetual and San Beda vs. Adamson – were still being played as of presstime. Tomorrow, Far Eastern University debuts against Jose Rizal University (0-1) at 4 p.m., in another triple-header that also pits Mapua (1-1) vs,. Adamson at 12 noon, and Perpetual (0-1) vs. NU (0-1) at 2 p.m. The scores First Game UE 92 — Lee 12, Bandaying 11, Martinez
11, Llagas 9, Espiritu 8, Alapanza 8, Lingganay 8, Thiele 6, Acuna 5,
Zamar 5, Duran 4, Reyes 1. Quarters: 19-7, 52-20, 75-44, 92-71. Second Game Ateneo 73 — Al-Hussaini 19, Tiu 13, Long
9, Chua 7, Esueta R. 6, Reyes 6, Baclao 6, Salamat 4, Austria 2, Sumalinog
1. Quarters: 19-13, 43-35, 54-48, 73-68. Blue Eagles rookies show stuff anew MANILA, Philippines—Ateneo de Manila University and its celebrated rookies eye their second win against Mapua Institute of Technology while San Beda College guns for at least a share of the lead in Group B at the resumption of the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup at The Arena in San Juan City on Monday. The Blue Eagles, coming off their second win in three matches last Wednesday, collide with the Mapua Cardinals at 2 p.m. while the Red Lions eye a 2-0 slate against the Adamson University Falcons in the 6 p.m. main game. The University of the East-College of St. Benilde clash
opens the four-game bill at noon. San Sebastian College debuts against
University of Perpetual Help at 4 p.m. Ateneo finally lifts covers off rookies, routs Perpetual GAMES MONDAY (The Arena) MANILA, Philippines—Ateneo de Manila University finally unveiled the strength of its rookie corps to run circles around University of Perpetual Help, 91-67, Wednesday in the 2nd Filoil Fly V pre-season invitational basketball cup at The Arena in San Juan City. Holdover Nonoy Baclao still topscored with 20 points, four rebounds and four steals but he was ably backed up by greenhorns Justin Chua, Ryan Buenafe, Luis Lorenzo Gonzaga and Nico Salva who finally showed they were worth the recruitment efforts put in by the Eagles. “They (rookies) got more playing time today and I’m glad they delivered,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black Wednesday. Chua, picked from Chiang Kai Shek College, scored 11 points, the same output provided by Gonzaga and Buenafe, who came from San Sebastian College. Salva chipped in eight points. Buenafe came through with a layup to shove the Blue Eagles to 14-2 margin in the first quarter, to pretty much establish control of the match. By halftime, Ateneo was 46-30 ahead and didn’t look back. It was a perfect way to bounce back from an opening-day 70-61 defeat to San Beda College. The Red Lions, NCAA champions, feasted on an Eagles squad that kept its rookies’ minutes to a minimum. Earlier, Jose Rizal University dealt University of the Philippines a 71-64 beating. The Heavy Bombers clamped down on Martin Reyes and Migs de Asis in the final three minutes to ensure the victory that evened their record to 1-1. The tournament resumes anew on Monday at The Arena with the University of the East Warriors battling the College of St. Benilde Blazers at noon. Ateneo, on the other hand, tries to make it two straight when it takes on Mapua Institute of Technology at 2 p.m. San Sebastian takes on Far Eastern University at 4 p.m. while San Beda takes on Adamson University at 6 p.m. The Scores First Game JRU 71—Sena 28, Wilson 9, Nocom 9, Hayes 8, Njei 3, Lituania 3, Cagoco 3, Pradas 2, Kabigting 2, Bulangis 2, Agas 2. UP 64—Gamboa 13, Sorongon 8, Reyes 8, Wong 8, de Asis 8, Wong 7, Agbayani 4, Sison 4, Marfori 2, Astorga 2, Braganza 2. Quarters: 18-17, 34-37, 57-58 Second Game ATENEO 91—Baclao 20, Buenafe 11, Chua 11, Gonzaga 11, Reyes 10, Salamat 9, Salamat 8, Sumalinog 6, Escueta 4, Long 3, Baldos 2, Tiu 2. PERPETUAL 67—Reyes 22, Galabin 11, Kong 6, Sicat 6, Dysam 6, Mejos 5, Balboa 4, Salanga 4, Ynion 3. Quarters: 25-12, 46-30, 72-51, 97-67 San Beda mangles Ateneo five Games on Wednesday (The Arena) San Beda College wore down Ateneo en route to a 70-61 victory at the start of the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup at the PhilSports Arena yesterday at the ULTRA in Pasig. The Red Lions and the Blue Eagles engaged in a close contest in the first half with San Beda taking a slim 32-29 halftime lead, but a full court press anchored by the Red Lions’ pesky guards took the starch out of the Katipunan-based cagers in the next two quarters. San Beda, which finished behind De La Salle in last year’s finals, thus secured its first win in the two-month long tournament backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Mr. Softy, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc. and Diamond Purified Drinking Water. Pong Escobal’s outside sniping and Sam Ekwe’s inside incursion proved too much for the Blue Eagles in the event serving as appetizer for the regular UAAP and NCAA seasons. Escobal and Ekwe finished with 14 points each for San Beda, Ogie Menor added 12 and Borgy Hermida had 11. De La Salle University and Jose Rizal University were still playing at presstime. "Parang may jitters pa sila. Hindi pa kumportable.
But as we go on, we were OK," said San Beda coach Frankie Lim. The Red Lions slowly but surely pulled away in the third quarter, taking a 56-44 lead late in the third quarter on Menor’s gutsy drive. Ateneo will have a chance to bounce back in to contention when it takes on Far Eastern University on Wednesday in the second game set at 2 p.m. at The Arena. The scores: First Game Filoil Flying V PreSeason set Games Tomorrow (Philsports Arena) Defending champion De La Salle University and last year’s runner-up San Beda College banner tomorrow’s blockbuster doubleheader kicking off the 2nd Filoil Flying V PreSeason Invitational Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig. After an hour-long opening ceremony, the SBC Red Lions, the reigning NCAA champions, debut against Jose Rizal University at 2 p.m., while the DLSU Green Archers, the UAAP titlists, clash with Filoil Flying V Collegiate Champions League titlist Ateneo in the 4 p.m. The opening rites will be spiced up by a cheer dance contest and brass bands from the participating teams. Tickets for the games are available at the Araneta Coliseum Ticketnet booths and at all Ticketnet outlets in SM Malls. After this Sunday’s opening games, the rest of the games
in the two-month long tournament will be held at The Arena in San Juan
City. The games will be aired over Basketball TV on Destiny Cable Channel 34 and IBC 13. The event is backed by Total, Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Mr. Softy, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc. and Diamond Purified Drinking Water. Ninong of collegiate basketball Development of local sports during these past years has been dependent on the generosity of private individuals and groups imbued with a genuine passion for specific sports discipline. And mostly being in business, these recognized ‘ninongs’ or godfathers have managed to combine their love and support for their favorite game with the marketing and promotional requirements of their respective line of businesses. Chito Villavicencio, chairman and founder of Villavicencio group of companies is turning out to be one of the steadfast supporters of collegiate basketball. Thru the FilOil Flying V Sports, the team headed by Chito’s son, Raffy, and ably assisted by sportsman Virgil Villavicencio and veteran marketing man David Dualan, generous support have been extended to the promotion and development of collegiate basketball. The support to basketball does not come merely in the form of financial handouts. The FilOil Flying V Sports has developed a comprehensive calendar of competitive activities and has linked them with the marketing plans of Villavicencio companies such as FilOil and Flying V, both aggressive traders and marketers in the petroleum industry. As Virgil succinctly put it, “our involvement in basketball must make marketing sense.” FilOil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup The FilOil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup, one of the major basketball events in the collegiate scene organized, managed and funded by the Villavicencio group of companies, will kick off its second year of competitions on April 13, 2008 at Ultra, Pasig City . This year’s competition will include the following teams from both the UAAP and NCAA: La Salle , UE, Ateneo, FEU, NU, Adamson, UP, San Beda, Letran, JRU, Mapua, San Sebastian , University of Perpetual Help and College of St. Benilde . Under the tournament format, the above teams are divided into two groups and teams in one group will play against teams from the other group during the elimination phase. In the quarterfinals, team ranked number 1 and number 2 in each group will meet with team 4 and team 3, respectively in a knockout (loser go home) game with the winners advancing to the semifinal phase. In the Finals, the group winners will compete in a single game to determine the champion and the first runner-up. According to David Dualan, the teams that participated last year found the tournament very useful in preparing the teams for the regular season games. It afforded the coaching staff more opportunities to assess and evaluate the readiness of their players, particularly the rookies, for the long drawn out and intense competitions in the UAAP and NCAA. The opening games on Sunday will feature Jose Rizal Heavy Bombers versus the UAAP defending champion, De La Salle Green Archers in the first game with the Ateneo Blue Eagles battling with previous arch-rival, San Beda Red Lions, the defending NCAA champion. Smart and Canopy Homes are the early sponsors that joined
Flying V and FilOil in this first major event for the 2008 collegiate
season. A major step taken by FilOil Flying V Sports and the Villavicencio group of companies last year was to tie-up with the Philippine Collegiate Champions League and become the title sponsor of the collegiate national championship for 2007 and 2008. Last year’s FilOil Flying V “Sweet 16” Finals champion was Ateneo Blue Eagles after winning their knockout games against San Sebastian College Stags, JRU Heavy Bombers, UST Growling Tigers and in the Finals, against the University of Visayas Green Lancers . The collegiate championship this year is bigger and broader in scope with multi-levels competition on a nationwide scale. More than 200 teams from nine regional areas are expected to participate. The road to the national championship will include regional and zonal championships with the qualifying teams joining the FilOil Flying V “Sweet 16” Final Challenge scheduled to be held in Manila starting the third week of November. In signing the MOA with the Champions League, Chito Villavicencio
remarked that just like in business, competition draws the best from the
competing teams and that if collegiate basketball is to flourish and grow
there must be in place regular competitive tournaments that will require
the best performance from each team. He also observed that at the moment the teams from Metro
Manila leagues, particularly the UAAP and NCAA, may have an edge over
the other teams from the provinces, but given the right exposure and motivation,
provincial teams will eventually give the Manila teams some competitive
pressure. As organizer and title sponsor of two of the major collegiate basketball events, the Pre-Season Tournament and the “Sweet 16” Final Challenge of the Champions League, the Villavicencio group of companies through the Fil-Oil/Flying V Sports have allocated in their marketing budget several million pesos of sponsorship money for these activities. During the 2007 collegiate championship, for instance, the Villavicencio group of companies provided transportation and accommodation for the trip to Manila of the qualified teams from the provinces, namely, University of Visayas, University of Mindanao, West Negros College and Sacred Heart College of Tacloban. Apart from trophies and medals, grants and scholarships were also given to the winning schools as follows: Ateneo, P500,000, University of Visayas , P200,000, STI Colleges , P100,000 and University of Santo Tomas , P50,000. For Chito Villavicencio and his team, this is money well spent. It gives them the marketing exposure necessary for their business and also makes them feel good as they are doing it “for the love of the game.” Ateneo casts big shadow in Filoil loop De La Salle University and San Beda College may have been installed as pretournament picks in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup set to start on April 13 at The Arena in San Juan, but Ateneo looms as one of the tournament's darkhorses. The rest of the elite cast composed of practically the entire roster of the UAAP and the NCAA, except for the Philippine Christian University, might just as well expect the Blue Eagles to make a run for the title if only for Ateneo's recent triumph in the Filoil/Flying V Collegiate Champions League held November of last year. The Blue Eagles won the finals in the CCL at the expense of the University of Visayas Green Lancers with plenty to spare, 71-54, with Ford Arao and Chris Tiu doing the most damage against the tough-playing UV side. Ateneo lost Arao to graduation, but the Blue Eagles remain a potent threat to the rest of the squads in the Filoil Flying V tournament which have Total, Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V, Smart, Boysen, Metathione, Burlington, Mr. Softy, CDO, Reyes Barbeque, Chowkigng, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc. and Diamond Purified Drinking Water as sponsors. "Ford (Arao) has graduated, but we'll definitely give it our best in this tournament. We have four rookies in the line-up and we want to give them an opportunity to experience playing against the same teams that we are going to face in the UAAP," said Ateneo coach Norman Black. Even without Arao at the paint, Black can still count on a slew of scorers in Chris Tiu, Kirk Long and Rabeh Al-Hussaini while testing his rookies' mettle against the rest of the opposition. The Eagles started practicing for the Filoil/Flying V tourney before the Holy Week break and resumed their scrimmages a week ago. Lions hope to win this time Last year, San Beda College lost to De La Salle University in a tightly-fought finals during the inaugural staging of the Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup. But when the 2nd edition of the pre-season tournament opens on April 13 at The Arena in San Juan, the Red Lions will be sufficiently armed and ready and raring to make another run for the title. The Red Lions lost a key player in Yousif Al-jamal who graduated last year, but with monster defender Sam Ekwe still in the lineup, San Beda remains a formidable team to beat. And to further strengthen their frontline, the Red Lions took in another Nigerian in Kelvin Emeka Udo, a huge addition to San Beda's already-talented roster. San Beda College will test its newfound strength when it goes up against Ateneo in the opener set at 2 p.m., and with Filoil Flying V tournament ruling that allows foreign students to play at the same time, the Red Lions will be tough to beat. Coach Frankie Lim, however, said he'll probably take advantage of the ruling only when the team goes up against UAAP teams. "I won't play them at the same time every game. Maybe against UAAP teams," said Lim. That's actually bad news for defending champion De La Salle and powerhouse teams Ateneo, University of the East and Far Eastern University, who will also be fielding their "A" teams. "We'll try to simulate the regular NCAA season, so we'll definitely play hard every game," added Lim, whose wards starting practicing for the tournament as early as two weeks ago. The 2nd Filoil Flying V tournament actually opens its season with an atmosphere similar to a regular UAAP and NCAA tournaments, complete with brass bands and cheerleaders. De La Salle takes on Jose Rizal University in the other half of a doubleheader at 4 p.m. The day will start with a brief but colorful opening ceremony at 1 p.m. Tickets for the games are available at all Ticketnet Outlets located at SM Department Stores Service Area or at the Araneta Coliseum Ticket Booths. Top college teams join Fil-Oil meet The 2nd Fil-Oil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup returns to the basketball scene with the same roster of teams from the country’s premier collegiate leagues, the UAAP and the NCAA, which will slug it out for bragging rights as the college circuit’s pre-season best squad. De La Salle University earned that distinction when it bagged the title in the first edition of the tournament in the finals against San Beda College. The Green Archers went on to become the 2007 UAAP basketball champions, while the Red Lions capped an amazing basketball season by ruling the NCAA basketball cagefest. Aside from De La Salle and San Beda, 13 other teams have confirmed the participation of their 2008 "A" teams as well as their cheering squads. Out to challenge last year’s finalists for the crown are the rest of the UAAP and NCAA squads in Ateneo, University of the East, University of Santo Tomas, Mapua, Letran, University of Perpetual Help-Dalta System, University of the Philippines, National University, Jose Rizal University, Far Eastern University, College of St. Benilde, Adamson University and San Sebastian College. Ateneo, JRU, UE, Letran, FEU, Perpetual and Adamson U are bracketed in Group A, while Group B will have De La Salle, San Beda, UST, Mapua, SSC-R, CSB, NU and UP. Commissioners for the tournament are the three former national coaches in Edmundo "Ato" Badolato, Aric del Rosario and Virgil Villavicencio. The Blue Eagles and the Red Lions take on each other right in the opener on April 13 at The Arena in San Juan at 2 p.m, while the JRU Heavy Bombers and the Green Archers clash at 4 p.m. A brief opening rites will precede the hostilities at 1 p.m. League chairman Dave Dualan said the 2nd FilOil Flying V Pre-Season Cup serves as a yardstick on how ready are the teams for the coming UAAP and NCAA seasons. "Since last year, this tournament has become a yardstick on how prepared the teams are, physically and mentally. It wasn’t a coincidence that last year’s finalists went on to become champions in their respective leagues, because in a small way, the tournament helped hone them for the bigger cage wars," said Dualan. Filoil cagefest set April 13 A number of comporations have started to pour in to lend their support to the second Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup, which starts on April 13 with no less than 13 teams from both the UAAP and NCAA leagues. Now on its second year, the month-long tournament will have Flying V Bio-Diesel and Filoil Portagas, Total Philippines Corp., PTT, Smart Communications, Boysen Paints, Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Mr. Softy, Burlington and Reyes Barbecue as major sponsors, with the official ball to be provided by Nike. More sponsors are expected to sign in as the month-long tournament draws near, and as the competing teams get ready for the tough battles ahead. The teams will be led by last year’s defending champion De La Salle University, which went on to clinch last year’s UAAP championship. San Beda College, which took runner-up honors behind La Salle in the Filoil Flying V tourney, also ruled the NCAA tournament. League chairman Dave Dualan said that most teams will be sending in their "A" teams to compete in the tournament for the players, especially the rookies, to get a feel of what it’s like to play in the regular season. La Salle five not taking chances De La Salle University, staking its title in the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup which unfolds on April 13 at The Arena in San Juan, isn’t taking the opposition lately. "Of course, as defending champions we have to play our best in this tournament, especially since the other teams will be after our scalps," said La Salle assistant coach Tyrone Bautista, who is handling the team’s practices in the absence of head coach Franz Pumaren. Pumaren, who steered the Green Archers to both the Filoil Flying V tourney and last year’s UAAP season, is currently in the United States to supervise the training of the Nokia-RP Youth team. Tyrone said even without their three key players — Cholo Villanueva, Ty t@ng and Brian Ilad, who graduated last year, the Green Archers are ready to defend their title against the rest of the UAAP teams and their NCAA counterparts. Still, the La Salle assistant coach said San Beda College remains one of the teams to beat. The Red Lions lost in last year’s finals against the Green Archers but went on to clinch the championship in the regular NCAA basketball competition. "San Beda remains the team to beat. Kahit nawala pa ‘yung ibang players nila, as long as nandiyan si Sam Ekwe, it will be difficult to beat them. Sa UAAP naman, FEU has the edge since intact din sila, followed by UST. Of course, you can not discount the other teams because they will also be using their regular players," Bautista said. Tournament Format
|