Home 
MANILA, Philippines ? There?s something about the University of the East that gets Ateneo?s Rabeh Al-Hussaini all pumped up.
And UE coach Lawrence Chongson said his wards must learn to contend with the 2008 MVP when the Warriors try to avert the Blue Eagle?s bid for a Finals sweep and second straight UAAP championship tomorrow.
?We probably have the shortest frontline in the league, so all we could do was offset it,? said Chongson. ?We knew Al-Hussaini will get his numbers, so we tried to limit the rest.
?But Jai Reyes also came out big. He made three-pointers one after the other and that kept them afloat every time we made a run.?
The Blue Eagles, aiming to duplicate their back-to-back title romp in 1987 and 1988, will gun for the varsity championship clincher at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Araneta Coliseum.
Al-Hussaini again came out with one of his best performances against the Warriors by unloading 28 points, including six straight in the final two minutes, on top of 14 rebounds in the Blue Eagles? 78-71 Game 1 win on Thursday.
The 6-foot-6 center also averaged 28.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in the Blue Eagles? two-game elimination sweep of the Warriors.
?I really don?t know, but I always get to play my game against UE,? Al-Hussaini said in Filipino. ?But with Jai, I also had an easier time scoring. Coming into the game, I knew they?d try to stop me. But with Jai stepping up, it wasn?t just me that they had to defend.?
Reyes, a veteran 5-foot-8 guard, fired a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range to finish with 17 points. He also had five rebounds and four assists.
