Bulldogs give ’em one big bite

By Abac Cordero
The Philippine Star
Sunday, September 16, 2007



The unexpected happened last night in the UAAP.

An out-of-it-all National University dealt Ateneo a loss that could haunt them for a long, long time, winning in overtime, 96-88, and putting the race for the second finals slot in total disarray.

The Bulldogs carried a woeful 1-12 record into the game, but played like champions against the Blue Eagles, who only had to win the game to take the No. 2 spot and the twice-to-beat edge in the semis.

But it wasn’t meant to be.

The Eagles, whose motto in every game is “One Big Fight” instead got one big bite from the erstwhile harmless Bulldogs.

Chris Tiu, who’s won ballgames for Ateneo countless times, failed to give his team an outright win when he missed a jumper in the final two seconds of regulation.

Then the Jonathans of NU – Fernandez and Jahnke – took charge with 19 points in overtime, breaking the backs of the Blue Eagles and the hearts of their true-blue supporters.

Ateneo’s biggest patron, businessman Manny V. Pangilinan, sat almost motionless, speechless at ringside, a cup of Starbucks coffee on hand, after the final buzzer. He looked good in hiding his emotion.

“There were a lot of talks going into this game. That La Salle would benefit if we win. But we didn’t care about that. All we wanted was to beat Ateneo,” said NU coach Manny Dandan.

The NU players chanted “Inuman Na! Inuman Na!” (It’s time to drink) entering their dugout. Later inside, almost all of them were asking where they could get a tape of the game.

“I also want one. Let’s have it copied,” Dandan told them. It was the last game of the season for NU, and for a couple of players like Fernandez, their last in the UAAP.

For five minutes, Ateneo coach Norman Black stood outside their muted dugout, staring at the stats sheet, trying to seek an answer to the big question: “What went wrong?”

Before stepping inside, he asked team manager Paolo Trillo to make some calls and cancel their planned one-night team bonding in breezy Tagaytay.

“Since the next game was on Sunday, had we won this game, we had planned for an overnight stay in Tagaytay tonight (Saturday). All that is off,” said Ateneo’s Ricky Palou.

La Salle is the biggest benefactor of the NU win as it climbed into a tie with Ateneo at 9-5, and gained a playoff on Thursday for the coveted No. 2 spot.

Defending champion UST and FEU dispute the No. 4 position tomorrow. The winner will face the loser between Ateneo and La Salle. And again, the winner will face the twice-to-beat No. 2 for the second finals slot.

University of the East is already in the finals after sweeping the elims.

“This is a good win by NU,” said La Salle coach Franz Pumaren who didn’t get to watch the game. “Now we have a shot at No. 2. But it’s not easy. It just got a little easier.”

In the other game, Adamson punched the final nail on the UP coffin this year, scoring a 93-75 win that stretched the Maroons’ winless spell, and further raised questions on coach Joe Lipa’s status.