New Era beats Ateneo in OT, clinches crown
Credit to Author: Tempo Online| Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2019 17:00:53 +0000
by Brian Yalung
The New Era University Hunters needed an extra five minutes to defeat the Ateneo Blue Eagles B, 93-84, and capture the Breakdown Basketball Invitational title at the Moro Lorenzo Gym over the weekend.
Joel Gonzallo delivered what he failed to accomplish in regulation by hitting a huge 3-point that gave them an 89-84 lead that all but took the fight out of the Eagles.
He finished with 22 points, the same output of Jeff Comia. Gonzallo also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Members of the New Era University Hunters quintet that won the Breakdown Basketball Invitational
“It was a well-deserved win, the guys played well offensively and defensively,” said coach Adonis Tierra.
The Hunters started strong, taking as many as 11 points leads but settled for a 40-35 halftime advantage.
Ateneo, however, rallied early in the third to grab the driver’s lead, 46-45, on an alley-oop play by Jawuan White. The Loyola-based squad led by the end of the third quarter, 58-54.
The Hunters managed to reclaim the lead at the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter, 62-60, and the game turned into a see-saw affair. The Blue Eagles had the upper hand with 1:25 left in regulation, 74-69, before Nemesis Dela Cruz and Jeff Comia buckled down to work to knot the count anew 76-all.
NEU actually had a chance to win it outright in regulation but Gonzallo’s three-point attempt missed its mark.
Miguel Fortuna led Ateneo with 23 points and five assists while Inand Fornillos had a double-double performance of 17 points and 14 rebounds.