Eagles lose to Tamaraws, 72-74

For the first time in two seasons, the Ateneo Blue Eagles will not go into the Final Four as the number one seed.

The Blue Eagles held a six point lead with 3:25 left in the fourth quarter, before the Far Eastern University Tamaraws unleashed an eight-to-nothing blast. FEU’s RR Garcia capped the run with a three pointer that gave FEU the lead for good, 73-72. Reil Cervantes’ free throw ended the scoring at 74-72, as Ateneo was unable to tie the game.

“We played them well,” said Coach Norman Black. “The referees let a few plays go at the end, they should have called fouls. But I guess that’s part of the game.”

The Blue Eagles remained optimistic after the defeat, however, and were given some inspiring words. “We’re not the number one seed but if we work hard enough, there’s a good chance that we can win (it all),” said Sir Ricky Palou, University Athletics Director after the game.

The game was a see-saw affair from the opening tip. Eric Salamat got things going for the Blue Eagles with a lay-up in semi-transition, but FEU answered back with a six-zero run. The two teams would trade baskets before Nico Salva scored five straight points to tie the game at 10-all. After FEU took the lead with a three, Juami Tiongson would score five straight points of his own, giving Ateneo a 17-16 lead after one quarter.

The second quarter was the Ryan Buenafe show for Ateneo. The veteran would score eight points, including a circus lay-up that drew oohs and aahs from the crowd and a three pointer that tied the game at 29-all. The Blue Eagles led at the half, 33-32, thanks to a fast break lay-up by Kirk Long.

FEU would take the lead in the third canto, via a pair three pointers from rookie Terrence Romeo, but timely lay-ups and free throws kept the Blue Eagles within striking distance. The Tamaraws led 54-50 going into the fourth quarter.

It would seem as though the Blue Eagles would take the lead for good in the fourth quarter. With Buenafe, Salva and Justin Chua getting into the paint time and time again, Ateneo built a 64-61 lead. A three pointer by Long and a jump shot by Salamat would give the Blue Eagles their biggest lead of the night, 69-63. After a three-point play by Aldrech Ramos for the other side, Salamat would hit a three, bringing the lead back to six. Unfortunately, the Blue Eagles would not score again.

“They hit some tough shots, and we didn’t execute as well on offense as we should have,” said Kirk Long. “They came down, we had our hands in their faces and they still knocked some shots down. So we give credit to them for those shots, and we’ll just remember to execute better in the last two minutes.”

While neither team would shoot well from the field, FEU was bolstered by its three-point shooting, making 8 of 11 from beyond the arc. The Blue Eagles were also doomed by their woeful free throw shooting, as they made only 11 of 21 charities.

The Ateneo loss finalized the Final Four picture. The Blue Eagles will go against the Adamson Falcons while the Tamaraws will go against the De La Salle Green Archers. “It doesn’t matter whether we play Adamson or La Salle. I think we can beat both of them,” said Palou.

When asked about playing against Adamson in the semis, Coach Norman said that “Both games (against Adamson) were very tough. They went down to the last second. I expect that it will be very difficult to play against them in the semi-finals.”

The Blue Eagles are eager to bounce back from the loss and return to the Finals for the third straight year. They return to the hardcourt on Sunday, September 19 at 3:30 pm for their semi-final game against the Adamson Falcons.

By Camille Eugenia B. Naredo

Photos by Joseph Angan and Paolo Loanzon