October 2, 2009 (Part 1); Ateneo takes first crack, beats UE in Game 1

Yesterday, the Ateneo Blue Eagles proved that even a weeklong lay-off won't make them rusty inside the hardcourt.

They showed the public why they are the defending champions and why they are the number 1 ranked team in the UAAP after the elimination rounds, as they beat the 3rd seeded UE Red Warriors in Game 1 of their best-of-three finals series, 78-71 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Rabeh Al-Hussaini, last season's MVP, finished the game with the game-high 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the process. Jai Reyes, backed him up by scoring 17 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

UE brought a huge scare towards the end of the second half by erasing a 17-point lead via a 19-1 run, to lead the game 35-34 at the end of the second quarter.

But after the halftime huddle, things fell on the side of the Blue Eagles as they came back to lead the game and never looked back ever since.

The Red Warriors were led by Paul Lee, who finished the game with 15 points, along with 8 rebounds. Pari Llagas and Val Acuna both capped off with 13 markers, while Raffy Reyes, who was the spark plug of their second quarter run, finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Game 2 will be played on Sunday, at 3:30 PM, still at the Araneta Coliseum.

Game 1
UE 71
ADMU 78
UE: Paul Lee- 15 pts, 8 rebs, 1 asst.
ADMU: Rabeh Al-Hussaini- 28 pts, 14 rebs, 2 assts.
Ateneo leads series 1-0.

And in other news, the Indiana Fever evens up their best-of-five WNBA Finals series against the Phoenix Mercury. The Fever stole one from Phoenix's homecourt via a 93-84 beatdown.

Tamika Catchings led the Fever with an amazing performance, scoring 19 points, having 11 assists and grabbing 9 boards, one away from a triple-double. Katie Douglas finished the game with 14 points.

Meanwhile, the Mercury were led by Diana Taurasi who scored 20 points on just 7 out of 22 from the field, along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Their series is tied at 1-1, and it will now shift to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4.

So there you have it! You guys have just been fed!

God bless you guys! Stay safe! Hope that "Pepeng" won't pass by! Peace out! The Wizard was here...:)

Comments, questions and suggestions are highly appreciated! :)