Ateneo-Adamson 'Big Birds' soar over GCC of China, 78-73

HONG KONG - Philippine collegiate powerhouses Ateneo de Manila and Adamson University barely scraped by the towers of China's GCC basketball team but prevailed at crunch time, 78-73, in a highly physical and heart-stopping ballgame at the 18th 3-D Gold Super Kung Sheung Cup at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here.

Blue Eagles Kirk Long and Bacon Austria, together with Adamson standout Lester Alvarez, came through with clutch plays in the final minute to cap the Filipinos' come-from-behind rally, fearlessly attacking the rim despite the superior height of the Chinese.

Long, who was limited to 2 points in the first half, scattered 15 points in the second half and took charge in the fourth quarter, where he teamed up with Alvarez in orchestrating the Philippine attack.

Bothered by China's length and quickness, the Filipinos played catch-up for most of the game, conceding rebounds and second- and even third-chance points to GCC, which led 37-31 at halftime.

Spitfirish 6"3' forward Shang Lei of GCC also torched the Filipinos with 19 points in the first half en route to a game-high 38 points, firing threes at will and driving hard to the basket despite the hard-nosed defense of Long and Alex Nuyles. At one point, the Chinese seemed poised for a blowout win.

But the Filipinos would have none of it. Showing tremendous spirit, they patiently chipped away at the lead in the third quarter behind the playmaking abilities of Long and Alvarez, who won over the crowd with their derring-do penetrations and unselfish kick-outs, to the approving eyes of legendary coach Norman Black and sports patron-businessman Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP), who cheered from courtside.

Things nearly came to a head in the fourth quarter as 6'8' GCC center Yao Peng, apparently frustrated over the Filipino onslaught, started hacking away at anyone who came his way and in one play even wrestled the smaller Austria to the ground.

Surprisingly, the mostly Hong Kong crowd rooted for the Philippines, joining pockets of Filipino fans in chanting "defense" and rallying behind the Blue Birds against their Mainland compatriots -- perhaps proof that in the game of basketball, a fighting heart can erase all boundaries.

So-called the "Big Birds" in playful reference to the two schools' monickers in the UAAP -- the Blue Eagles and the Soaring Falcons -- the Filipinos have virtually crashed into the semifinal round and will next face China's Xin Cheng Holdings basketball team to determine its group seeding.

PHL 78 - Alvarez 21, Long 18, Salva 11, Austria 8, Camson 6, Nuyles 4, Colina 3, Dela Cruz 3, Sumalinog 2, Erram 2, Golla 0

GCC 73 - Shang 38, Jiang K.Y. 9, Wang L.M. 5, Li J. 5, Li Y. 5, Hu B. 5, Tang H.J. 4, Zhang Z. 2

- Ryan Asis Maniago