16th PSC-UniGames Day 7

The Ateneo Blue Eagles clinched the 16th PSC-Unigames Basketball Championship by beating the West Negros University Mustangs, 76-62. The win was Ateneo’s sole podium finish in this year’s Unigames held in Roxas City, Capiz.

Game Plan: Stop the Ace Player
Coming into the game, the Blue Eagles were wary of West Negros and its ace point guard Alfie Villariza. For the past few years, it has always been Villariza leading the Mustangs, dazzling the fans with crossovers, pull-up three pointers, and acrobatic lay-ups. After beating the University of San Agustin Golden Eagles to set up the Ateneo-WNU finals, team captain Tonino Gonzaga eagerly asked Coach Sandy Arespacochaga how they were going to stop Villariza.
“We’re assigning Juami, Von, or you (Tonino Gonzaga),” replied the head deputy of Eagles. “We’ll probably use several types of defense on him.”

Pregame/Warm-ups
Come game time, the Mustangs and Eagles entered the jam-packed Capiz Gymnasium with heavy security surrounding them. Holding the Unigames in Roxas City for the first time, the Philippine Sports Commission and the local government units of Roxas City and Panay employed numerous policemen and tournament officials. None of them seemed to be ready for the monstrous number of people who came out to watch the game between Negros Occidental powerhouse WNU and the defending UAAP champions Ateneo.

West Negros, known for having produced former Blue Eagle captain and center Nonoy Baclao, were the obvious underdogs. Despite the presence of Villariza, the rest of the team were significantly smaller than the Blue Eagles. On paper, Ateneo could easily bully WNU in the post and off the rebounds.

First Quarter: Playing Physical
In a surprise move by Mustangs head coach Troy Sarabia, he had Villariza come off the bench, possibly trying to catch the Blue Eagles’ coaching staff off-guard. Sarabia also had his team play a very physical game against the startled Eagles, as WNU starting center Jonathan Evangelista, forward Michael Macon, and guard JR Salga all bodied up their Blue Eagle counterparts. Ateneo’s starters (Juami Tiongson, Tonino Gonzaga, JP Erram, Gwynne Capacio, and Justin Chua) expected a hard game, but the rough start had them in a surprising position in this year’s Unigames – in a competitive matchup with a non-UAAP school.

“Banggain niyo lang, hindi sanay ang taga-Maynila sa ganyan! Sayang lang ang laki!” jeered one of WNU’s fans, who decided to take a seat right near Ateneo’s bench. While the Blue Eagles again had a huge number of fans on their side, most of the locals preferred to cheer for West Negros.

The physical game and unorthodox plays of West Negros gave Ateneo a slim 22-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Second Quarter: Disrupt the Point, Ruin the Offense
In the second quarter, West Negros seemed to have noticed that their strategy was keeping them in the game. Rodolfo Salga Jr., a twenty year old guard built like a boxer, took it straight to Ateneo’s Juami Tiongson, pushing him out of position any chance that he got. At one point, while the ball was yet to be inbounded, Salga went up to Tiongson and put his hands straight up to his face. A less mature point guard would have reacted strongly to the play, but Tiongson, showing great poise and patience, shook it off and received the ball.

Several crossovers and assists by Tiongson later, Salga could only look at Coach Sarabia and shake his head. Ateneo’s offense was still well-oiled, despite the many attempts to water it down. Ateneo ended the first half with a 37-26 lead. While this lead seems adequate, the Blue Eagles clearly knew that the Mustangs could come back into the game.

Third Quarter: Whistle-happy Referees
The third quarter saw the Eagles try hard to extend their lead further. However, dubious calls saw both West Negros and Ateneo engage each other in a virtual free-throw shooting contest, as both teams were in the penalty as early as 3 minutes into the 3rd quarter.

Center JP Erram, the tallest player in this year’s Unigames at 6’6”, was called for three straight fouls in a span of four minutes. It was the contributions of reserve guards BJ Cipriano and Von Pessumal, together with Paul Siarot’s hustle and rebounds which helped Ateneo frustrate the Mustangs further. At one point, WNU’S Villaraza, normally calm and collected, gave up an unsportsmanlike foul as he virtually clotheslined Siarot while trying to run through a pick.

Fourth Quarter: Reign of Chua and Tiongson
The fourth quarter undeniably belonged to burly center/forward Justin Chua. Scoring 9 of his game-high 22 points, Chua seemed to take the comments of some WNU fans personally.

“Hapo na ‘yang si Chua,” (Pagod na si Chua/Chua is already tired) the WNU fan kept shouting within earshot. With each jeer, Chua responded with a nice pivot into the lane, or a good curl off a pick, getting him in perfect position to receive a Juami Tiongson pass.

Tiongson, who was still being played physically by Salga, also seemed to take his matchup personally. Despite not having the same flash as WNU’s Villariza, the man they call “Magic” lived up to his moniker by displaying his playmaking skills, setting up Justin Chua with easy dimes on a crucial fourth quarter stretch.

Gonzaga suffered cramps early in the fourth quarter, but told trainer Aspi Calagopi to fix him up. “Gusto ko pang bumalik,” said the team captain. Once he returned in the game, he instantly kicked the game’s speed to a higher gear, urging his teammates to focus and not let up.

Not even JP Erram’s fouling out of the game derailed the Blue Eagles, as they eventually beat the West Negros Mustangs 76-62. The Blue Eagles became champions despite playing with a “depleted lineup;” i.e., minus starters Kiefer Ravena, Nico Salva, and Greg Slaughter. Center Frank Golla also missed the game due to food poisoning.

Coach Sandy Arespacochaga said that the coaching staff is very happy with the performance of the team in this year’s UniGames. He also said that the players are individually talented but they played as a team much deserving of the victory.

West Negros University last won the UniGames championship in 2005, when Nonoy Baclao was still playing for the Mustangs. Ateneo last won the title in 2009, losing to eventual champions National University in the semi-finals in 2010.

SCORES: Chua 22, Tiongson 15, Gonzaga 9, Erram 8, Cipriano 7, Siarot 5, Pessumal 4, Estrada 3, Capacio 2, Mercado 1, Adornado 0

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We would like to thank all the Ateneo supporters who came out to watch the games of Team Ateneo in the 16th PSC-University Games.

ONE BIG FIGHT!