Warriors keep amazing romp

Five more wins and they’re in the finals.

The UE Warriors yesterday used a 9-0 start to beat the UST Tigers, 99-82, and move closer to a sweep of the elimination round in the 70th UAAP season at the Astrodome.

With its perfect 9-0 record, UE can clinch the first finals slot if it wins its last five games. This will leave the three other top teams fighting it out for the second finals berth.

The Warriors matched a similar start by the 1986 UE team led by Gerry Codiñera. That team, however, lost to the Benjie Paras-led UP squad in the finals.

Again, coach Dindo Pumaren said they’re taking it one game at a time, stressing that pulling off a rare 14-game sweep of the eliminations is easier said than done.

“This is the scary part – that it’s down to five games,” he said after the victory which the Warriors dedicated to Gido Babilonia, a former UE assistant coach who passed away early this year.

“We dedicate this game to Gido. And the players knew it that it’s Gido’s birthday today. This one’s for coach Gido,” said Pumaren of his former assistant who actually played for UST in the UAAP.

In the other game, La Salle held off FEU’s repeated rallies on its way to a 74-66 victory, and its sixth win in nine games. The Tamaraws, who lost a close game to the Archers in the first round, dropped to 5-4.

The Warriors took a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes of play, and never trailed the rest of the way. They posted their biggest lead at 20 points as the final seconds ticked away.

The Tigers, who got off to a 0-2 start this year, revived their title-retention hopes by winning five of their next six games. But against the Warriors, they just couldn’t get going.

The Tigers had a big rally going midway in the final quarter where they trimmed a 15-point deficit to within 72-79. A 7-0 spurt by the Warriors, however, took the sting out of the champions.