Eagles fumble, fall to FEU 69-72

The road to a three peat started out on a sour note as the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles lost a close one to the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 72-69, last Sunday, July 11, 2010 at the Araneta Coliseum. Ateneo was done in by a double-digit rebounding disadvantage, and a series of defensive lapses and turnovers that FEU capitalized on. The Tamaraws kept the game close all throughout. They had built enough momentum on their side to make a big push at the end, validating their status as one of the favorites to win this season’s championship.

“Siyempre seryoso ang larong ito para sa amin. Tatlong taon na at di pa kami nakakalampas sa Ateneo,” FEU coach Glenn Capacio said when asked about his team’s mindset in facing the defending champions.

Coach Norman Black opted to go with a tall starting lineup–drastically different from last season–with Kirk Long, Eric Salamat, Nico Salva, Frank Golla, and prized newcomer, JP Erram, manning the slot. Possible first game nerves and jitters took its toll on Ateneo, resulting in sloppy play early on.

The Blue Eagles were pushed around in the paint by the more experienced bigs of FEU. Team captain Eric Salamat had his own share of miscues, but made up for them with his defense and passing inside to the waiting big men. Dynamic play by Nico Salva and rookie Arthur dela Cruz, who scored on two straight baskets, pushed Ateneo’s lead to four to end the quarter, 11-15. Dela Cruz was a revelation, showing grit and confidence rare in rookies. The Blue and White Faithful cheered on as the former San Beda Cub’s shots hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

Rookie Arthur dela Cruz kicked off his UAAP career with 10 points in 14 mins of play

The second quarter looked to be a repeat of the first, with dela Cruz picking up where he left off. He scored twice, with one basket coming after a nifty move that eluded the outstretched arms of FEU’s Reil Cervantes. The rookie kicked off his UAAP career scoring 10 points in 14 minutes of play. Ryan Buenafe also looked focused and aggressive, attacking the middle, drawing fouls, and cleanly swishing in his charities.

The Tamaraws, however, kept the lead within five points with timely shots by RR Garcia and Pipo Noundou. Garcia, however, was pestered by the Eagles’ defensive ace Tonino Gonzaga. FEU was relentless in crashing the boards and passing the ball out to the sharpshooter Paul Sanga. Sanga converted a three to knot the game at 21-all. Long was one of the bright spots on the Blue Eagles in the second quarter, igniting the fast break and generally making plays on both ends of the floor. Still, the first half ended with FEU holding on to a 35-30 advantage.

Ateneo’s rebounding woes carried on to the third quarter, but their explosive offensive assault overwhelmed FEU and eventually helped them take back the lead. Salva and Salamat kept scoring in the paint. Their persistence sped up the tempo and left FEU scrambling for a counterattack. Long continued his versatile play, highlighted by a steal on Salva and a fastbreak deuce that gave Ateneo a three-point lead.

Ateneo ended the third with a 52-51 lead after a good defensive stop on Garcia and a Buenafe heave at the buzzer which almost hit its mark. Garcia singlehandedly kept FEU in the game, scoring 25 points, 12 of which were made from beyond the arc, which led the Eagles to play catch up throughout the game.

The fourth quarter seemed like a tug-of-war with each team going at each other. Buenafe’s offensive foul early on for warding off Sanga with his left arm was just a prelude to several ugly misses in the paint. Even then, the third-year forward continued to draw fouls and make his free throws, much to the chagrin of the hostile FEU crowd. Garcia once again came to the Tamaraw’s rescue, scoring on a strong drive to the basket, past the Ateneo big men, and drawing the foul to tie the game at 56. Salva continued to play aggressively, answering back with an and-one of his own, though he missed the free throw.

The tide finally turned in FEU’s favor when the rebounding totals began to catch up with the Eagles. It didn’t help that Ateneo got into the penalty early on. Long added to this with a hard foul on a streaking Cervantes, who made both his freebies to up the Tamaraws’ lead 67-64. Down by three, with Eric Salamat out of the game due to an injury suffered at the 3:15 mark, things looked grim for Ateneo. With the shot clock winding down, the ball was swung to Eman Monfort at the top of the key. Monfort sank his first three points to tie the match at 67, with two minutes left in the game.

It was the Eagles’ inability to stop Garcia, who continued to score at will, that prevented Ateneo from taking the lead despite their more inspired play. A Buenafe bomb cut the lead of FEU to just one, but this was Ateneo’s last hurrah. A mad scramble just a few seconds later would result in both Monfort and Buenafe literally slipping on the floor, losing the ball and allowing the ball to go FEU’s way. Long’s foul with 12 seconds left put Garcia on the line. Garcia missed one free throw, leaving the door open for Ateneo. The Eagles failed to score on their last possession and FEU escaped with a 72-69 victory.

Capacio was happy with his team’s win, but knew that this did not mean that they could rest easy. “Hindi ibig sabihin na porket nanalo kami, pwedeng magrelax na. Siguradong mas prepreparado yung mga ibang teams para sa amin, kaya effort rin naman, kailangan doblehin, or itriplehin.”

Ateneo was led by Salva and Buenafe, with 14 and 13 points respectively. Long had a well-rounded statline with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and a block. FEU’s Garcia led all scorers with 25 points. FEU Big man Reil Cervantes had 13, while Aldrech Ramos came close to a double-double with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles look to bounce back when they go up against the Adamson University Falcons (a dark horse in the tournament coming off a spirited win against National University) on Thursday, July 15, 2pm at the Philsports Arena.

QUARTER SCORES: 15-11, 30-35, 52-51, 69-72

ATENEO 69: Salva-14, Buenafe-13, Long-11, dela Cruz-10, Escueta-6, Salamat-6, Monfort-3, Erram-2, Golla-2, Chua-2, Gonzaga-0, Austria-0

FEU 72: Garcia-25, Cervantes-13, Ramos-10, Sanga-9, Bringas-8, Noundou-3, Romeo-2, Exciminiano-2, Mendoza-0, Knuttel-0, Cawaling-0

By Diego Santiago (4 BFA CW), goATENEO.com
Footage courtesy of Tony Gallano