Warriors fall short vs Russia in battle for top spot

By Robert Andaya

Standings

        Group A
                              W     L
Khabarovsk        3    0
UE-Philippines  2    1
Jilin                      1     2
Heilongjiang      0    3

      Group B
                            W     L
Malaysia             3     0
Liaoning            2     1
Jixi                       1     2
Vladivostok       0     3

JIXI City, Heilongjiang —  University of the East-Philippines battled long and hard before losing to Habas Khabarovsk State University of Physical Education-Russia, 84-93, in the battle for top spot in Group A in the 37th Promotion Cup international invitational basketball tournament at the Jixi Convention and Exhibition Center.

The Red Warriors rallied from several double-digit deficits to briefly take a one-point  lead on a well-contested corner three-point shot by Dylan Benedict Despi before yielding to the taller and more-experienced Russians in the closing minutes.

The Russians completed a three-game sweep of Group A, while the Filipinos finished second with a  2-1 win-loss record.

As the top two teams in Group A, the Russians and the FIlipinos advanced to the crossover semis against Group B No. 2 Liaoning University and Group B topnotcher Malaysia, respectively

Malaysia routed Vladivostok State University-Russia, 92-54, to complete a three-game sweep, while Liaoning clobbered Jixi Youth, 92-71, for a 2-1 win-loss record in Group B.

Filipino-American forward John Abate carried the fight for the Chris Gavina-mentored Red Warriors with 19 points, mostly on mid-range jumpers against Russia’s tall and imposing frontline.

Despi and Drayton Caoile added 14 points each while  Kristopher Lagat contributed 10 points for the Red Warriors, who are competing  in the week-long tournament as part of their preparations for the UAAP Season 88 starting next month.

Sharpshooter Eliseikin Nikolai and 6-7 center Filonov Aleksandr were the biggest thorns on the UE’s side.

Nikolai made mincemeat of the Red Warriors’ defenses and topscored with 30 points, including four three-point shots, while Aleksandr imposed his will in the shaded area and finished with 28 points.

The Russians dominated the game right from the start, taking a commanding 25-12 lead in the first quarter and 48-37 advantage at halftime.

The Red Warriors, however,  refused to give up and buckled down to work in the third quarter to the delight of a wildly-cheering crowd.

Led by Abate and Despi, the Warriors outscored the Russians, 29-23, behind a barrage of three-pointers to trim the deficit, 66-71, going into the payoff period.

A furious 11-5 scoring run, capped by Despi’s long three-pointer,  put the Red Warriors ahead for the first time at 77-76  with 6:52 left.

And after Rybalko Aleksandr of Russia split his free throws to tie the game at 77-all, Lagat  nailed a short jumper to make it 79-77 for UE.

The Red Warriors led for the last time, 81-79, on a split by Mark Cabero with 4:02 remaining before Nikolai caught fire from the long court as the Russians unleashed a finishing 14-3 run to seal the win.

Before their battle for the top spot, UE-Philippines and Habas-Russia swept their first two assignments, with the Red Warriors beating Jilin Northeast Tigers, 104-77, and host team Heilongjiang Youth Team, 97-64, and the Russians defeating Heilongjiang, 86-65, and Jilin (85-73). 

In other Group A result, Jilin Northeast Tigers demolished Heilongjiang Youth, 103-64, for a 1-2 record.

The Red Warriors’ trip to Jixi City is arranged by Armstrong Philippines, headed by Norman Gomez.

Last year, University of Cebu represented the country in the 36th edition of the tournament. being in  the southeastern Heilongjiang Province.