ATENEO assured itself of a spot in the Final Four with a
78-59 rout of Adamson yesterday in the UAAP men's basketball tournament at the
PhilSports Arena.
Rabeh Al-Hussaini scored 29 points as the Eagles secured
their 10th straight appearance in the Final Four.
The Blue Eagles registered their ninth win in 10 outings
while the Falcons dropped to 2-8.
"I'm happy about getting into the Final Four but I think our
goal is to make it to the top two," said Ateneo coach Norman Black.
"It does not really stop here. We have to keep on playing
hard and keep winning, keep respecting our opponents because we have no time to
relax right now. I'm happy with the win but it is still a long road."
Chris Tiu, who had 29 points in Ateneo's 85-76 victory over
UST last Thursday, could only come up with two points this time but thanks to
Al-Hussaini's all-around game, the Eagles continued their winning ways.
Eric Salamat also came up with big, finishing with 17 points
and six steals for the Eagles.
"He (Rabeh) works hard everyday in practice. This year, he
dedicated himself to trying to improve himself. He knows that Ford Arao (former
Ateneo center) has already graduated so he's getting the bulk of the minutes at
the center position. He is really taking advantage of it to the point that he
is already a go-to-player for us," Black added.
Eric Salamat chipped in 17 points and had a three-year UAAP
high six steals off the bench to make up for Tiu off-day.
Al-Hussaini scored 14 in the first quarter and had 11 in the
third.
"I tried to work on my skills. As much as possible, I'm the
last one out of the gym in practice," said Al-Hussaini.
Jerick Cañada had 12 points and eight rebounds for the
Falcons.
In the second game, FEU overhauled a 16-point deficit to
beat UST 74-69 in overtime.
Reil Cervantes scored six of his 20 points in the extra
period as the Tamaraws climbed to third place with a 7-3 card.
"What can I say. They got a big heart. That's it," said FEU
coach Glenn Capacio
The Tamaraws overcame a 51-35 third quarter deficit by
limiting the Tigers to just six points in the fourth.
Aldrech Ramos' fastbreak layup with 47.1 ticks in the fourth tied the count
at 60 to force overtime.
