AFTER TRAILING by as much as 16 points, Team Glory Be of the Ateneo Men’s Basketball team outscored their opponents, 11-4, to turn an earlier deficit into a 95-89 comeback victory against the league leading Enderun College Titans in the Got Skills Elite Showcase tournament last Wednesday, August 26, at the Enderun College gymnasium in Taguig City.
With the team down by a point with 2:30 left in the game, Cole Micek nailed a back-breaking three-pointer to give the Blue and White their first taste of the lead in the second half at 87-85. After a defensive stop, Kris Porter was able to muscle his way into the paint to hit an arching fadeaway jumper over the outstretched arms of the defense. This was amply followed by a thunderous dunk from CJ Perez off a steal, prompting the Titans to call a timeout with 1:25 left before the buzzer. After giving up seven unanswered points to the Blue and White, the Titans were left down in an 85-91 deficit.
With their undefeated record on the line, the Titans tried to rally themselves back in the game, making four out of their next five free throw attempts. However, Micek would answer back by calmly nailing two free throws of his down the stretch to virtually ice the game.
Dan Wong led four Blue Eagles in double figures with a game-high 20 points in a contest where the team never had a taste of the lead until the final minutes of the game. Porter followed Wong’s performance with 19 points on a highly efficient nine for 11 shooting clip–many of which came early in the game. Perez once again displayed his all-around performance with 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while Micek finished with 14 points of his own.
This win marks the team’s fifth consecutive victory to conclude the elimination round of the tournament, ending their campaign with a 7-1 record to force a three-way tie atop the standings in Group A. But due to the quotient rule, the Blue Eagles will be seeded number one in the crossover quarterfinals, which will tentatively begin this Monday, August 31.
Box Score:
Ateneo 95 – Wong 20, Porter 19, Perez 18, Micek 14, Javelosa 8, Asistio 5, Cariño 4, M. Ramos 2, Murphy 2, Banzon 1, Cu 0, Salandanan 0, T. Ramos 0, Asuncion 0
Quarter Scores: 22-22, 43-52, 69-74, 95-89
