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UAAP Season 79 Juniors Basketball Day 2 Round Up

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Title favorites, they could very well be. The Adamson Baby Falcons
are looking like a well-oiled machine. (Photo Credit: Arvin Lim, ABS-CBN Sports)

Results:

UPIS Junior Maroons def. DLSZ Juniors Archers 81-59

AdU Baby Falcons def. FEU Baby Tamaraws 78-65

UE Junior Warriors def. UST Tiger Cubs 87-77

NU Bullpups def. Ateneo Blue Eaglets 73-68

Notable Performances:

Juan Gomez de Liano (UPIS): 20 points (6/9 shooting), 9 rebounds, 6 assists 

Kenji Roman (FEU): 12 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists

Dustin Angeles (UE): 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals

SJ Belangel (ADMU): 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Winderlich Coyoca (NU): 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

John Lloyd Clemente (NU): 14 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists

Inand Fornillos (UST): 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals 

Key Storylines

The UE Junior Warriors finally win one!

The last time the UE Junior Warriors won a basketball game in the UAAP...
  • Barack Obama was still President of the United States
  • 1 US Dollar was equal to 44.4 Philippine Pesos 
  • One Direction was still a thing
  • Facebook comment sections were more peaceful
  • Kevin Durant was on his way to winning his first MVP
  • The Warriors had not blown a 3-1 lead just yet
It's been quite some time. So it must feel damn good for the UE Junior Warriors to get this victory against the UST Tiger Cubs.

After an impressive performance against the Ateneo Blue Eaglets for their opening game, the Tiger Cubs were expected by many to run over the Junior Warriors... except that wasn't the case. UE ran over the Tiger Cubs, being up by as much as 20 points. With 4 of their players led by Dustin Angeles scoring in double digits, the Junior Warriors were finally able to win a game. Things can only get better from here on out.

The DLSZ Junior Archers are having trouble moving on from Aljun Melecio

Any time you lose a player in the caliber of Aljun Melecio, a drop-off of sorts is expected to happen in terms of overall production from the team. That was certainly evident against the Baby Tamaraws. Even more so could it be seen against the UPIS Junior Maroons.

To be honest, this game should have been closer than how it really was. Sure, UPIS had Juan Gomez de Liano leading the charge, but the Junior Archers have enough talent at their disposal to put up a decent fight. That wasn't the case, facing a lead as big as 27 against the Junior Maroons. If Zobel is serious about contending for a Final Four spot, they have to remedy whatever is up right now, fast.

The consistency of the Bullpups and the growth of the Blue Eaglets

These were the two things which were most evident in NU's win against Ateneo. Let's start off with the Bullpups.

People expected a drop-off in terms of performance for the Bullpups after Justine Baltazar's graduation. That hasn't been the case at all, as NU has played excellently to start off the season. My tito put it best: "Kung may Mayhem defense ang La Salle, yung NU naman, Mayhem offense." They will fizz (shoutout to Leigh Ellis! #TheStarters) the ball around until the defense is left dizzy, and thinking of what to do next at the offensive end. A repeat of last season's end result for the Bullpups is looking more likely with each passing game.

For the Blue Eaglets, the team has to grow up fast. To be honest, I expected something close to a blow out once the Bullpups started to pull away given the edge NU has in experience and age (more developed bodies). Instead, Ateneo fought back and made a game out of it, losing by just 5 points. With a phenom in SJ Belangel leading a young, hungry, deep and talented team in the Eaglets, don't be surprised if the Blue Eaglets make it to the Finals come the end of the season. 

Next Schedule of Games: 

November 19, 2016 Saturday (All at the San Juan Arena):

9:00 AM: NU vs. AdU

11:00 AM: ADMU vs. FEU

1:00 PM: DLSZ vs. UST

3:00 PM: UP vs. UE
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