Despite his erratic plays in Game 1, University of the East’s Paul Lee will remain a big headache for Ateneo coach Norman Black.

While he managed to score a team-high 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Lee shot just 5-of-18 from the field and had just a single assist in 29 minutes off.

Still, Black remains wary of the versatile guard from Recto.

“He's going to be a headache for us. Their backs are against the wall now so even more so he's gonna come out firing so we just have to continue defending him,” said Black after they took Game 1 of their UAAP title showdown, 78-71, last Thursday at the Araneta Coliseum.

“We're not going to stop Paul Lee, we'll just try to control him the best we can,” he added.

In a surprise move, UE mentor Lawrence Chongson opted to put guard Paul Zamar into the starting lineup instead of Lee, who entered the court with three minutes left in the first quarter.

That move, however, surprised many experts.

“Their No. 1 player should have been part of the starting five,” said one UE supporter. — Jonas Terrado