Eagles collar Tigers, gain twice-to-beat

“Panget pero panalo,” said Kirk Long after the Ateneo Blue Eagles gutted out an 81-77 victory against the UST Growling Tigers, Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Eagles clinched a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. The win did not come easy for the Blue Eagles, as what should have been a blow out game turned into a dogfight in the last four minutes of the game.

Ateneo led by as much as 19 points in the fourth, but torrid outside shooting by UST, along with several questionable calls, brought the game close in the final minutes.

The Tigers unloaded a 25-13 run, including four triples, which allowed them to close the gap to three points. UST’s rally would fall short, however, and the Blue Eagles iced the game from the charity stripe.

“They started bombing us with three pointers,” said Coach Norman Black. “It’s very difficult to defend a team that’s going to shoot like that. But we won, and that’s the most important thing.”

While the fourth quarter was an ugly affair for the Blue Eagles, the first three quarters showcased the best of Ateneo basketball. Team captain Eric Salamat scored 11 of his team-high 18 points in the second quarter.

Sophomore Chris de Chavez came off the bench to play the best game of his young UAAP career. He scored a career-high 12 points on three-of-three shooting from the field. The Ateneo defense put the clamps on UST’s shooters, as they made only 26.5% of their shots in the first half. The Blue Eagles went into halftime with a comfortable lead, 40-23.

UST started the third quarter with an 8-0 blitz, but Coach Norman showed trust in his troops by not calling a timeout. The Blue Eagles responded their own run, highlighted by Bacon Austria’s fast break lay-up. But the Tigers’ shooters came roaring onto the court, as UST scored their last 12 points of the quarter from behind the arc. Ateneo led 60-45 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter started on a high note for the Blue Eagles, as De Chavez hit back-to-back threes. Nico Salva scored his first basket of the ball game thanks to an Arthur dela Cruz assist. That sequence prompted a timeout from the UST side, sparking their end-game run.

Thanks to their victory, the Blue Eagles are now assured of a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. Coach Norman said, “That was the second goal. It’s not always a guarantee to make it to the championship, but it’s an easier road than if we’re on the other side, if we have to beat the other team twice.”

Ateneo will face either the Adamson Falcons or the De La Salle Green Archers in the semi-finals. The Blue Eagles split the season series with Archers, and had to work hard for victories against the Falcons.

“We’ve had really tough games against Adamson, and we lost to La Salle. Either team will be difficult for us,” said Coach Norman.

Coach Norman was also happy to see the emergence of de Chavez, who gave the Blue Eagles a big boost off the bench. “It feels good. I’m happy that coach gave me the opportunity to play today, and I took advantage of it,” said de Chavez.

The Blue Eagles will try to go for the number one seed next Saturday, against the FEU Tamaraws.

By Camille Eugenia Naredo

Know the numbers of the Ateneo vs UST game here