INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines—This time, it’s the Ateneo Blue Eagles who are making winning a routine.

Rabeh Al-Hussaini led a dominant performance by Ateneo de Manila University’s big men as the Eagles subdued the University of the East Warriors, 64-58, Sunday to remain as the only unbeaten team in the 71st UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

“We utilized our size and it’s not just our size at the front, but also the size of our guards,” said coach Norman Black after the Eagles wrapped up an impressive first week that included wins over rival De La Salle University and Adamson University.

“It’s a good start. We’re on track with our goal, which is to make it to the Final Four. I know that normally during the UAAP season, it’s a bumpy road. So it’s good to get off to a good start and have a few wins behind us.”

Al-Hussaini, the 6-foot-6 half brother of Red Bull’s Carlo Sharma, buried a game-high 18 points aside from hauling down 17 rebounds and dishing out three assists.

“The big men stepped up for us, they really got in the boards,” said Black. “Al-Hussaini had a big game for us and we facilitated our offense to (rookie) Ryan Buenafe in the end, it really helped a great deal.”

From a 51-51 standoff, the Eagles pulled away by drilling eight unanswered points with four minutes left. As the Warriors’ scoring drought continued, the Eagles coasted to their first double-digit lead at 63-52 at the 2:46 mark.

Chris Tiu added 11 points and four assists for Ateneo while Buenafe and Nonoy Baclao contributed 10 apiece.

It’s the first loss in three games for the Warriors, who swept all 14 elimination games last season before bowing to La Salle in the Finals.

The Warriors played without top backup guard Paul Lee, who recently contracted dengue.

Earlier, Marc Agustin celebrated his return to Adamson by powering the Falcons to their first victory in three matches, 73-65, over the National University Bulldogs.

The 6-foot-4 Agustin, sidelined last season due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, shot 25 points built on an impressive 7-of-11 clip from the field.

“I’m really surprised with Marc,” said Adamson coach Leo Austria of his fifth-year forward, the eldest son of 1992 PBA Most Valuable Player Ato Agustin.

“This is my second year with him and this is the first time he played this well. He’s important to us because he’s one of only two veterans left in the team.”

The Bulldogs, who skidded to their third straight loss, came back from 22-31 to tie it at 39 with 3:44 minutes left in the third behind Edwin Asoro, who finished with 22 points.

But Alex Nuyles helped restore the Falcons’ lead by shooting seven of their next 12 points for a 51-47 advantage.

Agustin kept the Falcons ahead for the rest of the fourth quarter, leading them to a 72-61 edge with only 47 seconds remaining.

“There’s pressure,” said Austria, who returned to Adamson after a year-long stint as Welcoat coach in the PBA. “People expect a lot from us because of our pre-season run. But on paper, we’re really just [ranked] No. 7. I guess it’s our system that’s making us a contender.”

The scores:

First Game
ADAMSON 73—Agustin 25, Colina 11, Galinato 9, Nuyles 7, Olalia 7, Cañada 7, Alvarez 4, Gonzalgo 2, Yambot 1, Lozada 0, Santos 0, Gorospe 0.
NU 65—Asoro 22, Jahnke 8, Dela Cruz 7, Ponferrada 7, Aguilar 5, Baloran 5, Garcia 5, Fabula 4, Tungkul 2, Batac 0, Galapon 0, Luy 0, Catamora 0.
Quarters: 16-13, 31-22, 51-47, 73-65

Second Game
ATENEO 64—Al-Hussaini 18, Tiu 11, Buenafe 10, Baclao 10, Salamat 6, Salva 4, Escueta 3, Nkemakolam 2, Austria 0, Baldos 0, Long 0, Reyes 0.
UE 58—Espiritu 11, Llagas 10, Zamar 9, Lingganay 9, Martinez 7, Bandaying 6, Thiele 4, Arellano 2, Noble 0, Etrone 0, Acuña 0, Reyes 0.
Quarters: 12-10, 26-27, 47-47, 64-58