The Ateneo Blue Eagles pounced on the decimated lineup and the horrendous fourth quarter performance of the La Salle Green Archers to chalk up a 62-51 victory and bag the 71st UAAP men's basketball crown yesterday at the jam-packed Araneta Coliseum.

The win completed Ateneo’s 2-0 sweep of the Archers for its first crown since 2002. It also gave Norman Black his first collegiate title after winning several crowns in the pro-league.

The Eagles have actually swept their arch-rivals this season, winning all of their four meetings from the elimination round en route to dethroning the defending champions.

After absorbing 61-69 loss in Game One, La Salle look determined in sending the series into a sudden-death match when it jumped to a torrid start by scoring the game's first five points.

Ateneo suffered an early scare when Most Valuable Player (MVP) awardee Rabeh Al-Hussaini committed two quick fouls in the first three minutes of the game.

Hussaini, who scored 31 points in Game One, was forced to sit out the rest of the first half but the Eagles were able to take control of the game.
The Eagles closed the first period with a 13-2 run to hold a 16-10 lead in the first period.

Chris Tiu caught fire in the second quarter, scoring seven straight points in one stretch that gave Ateneo its first double-digit lead at 27-17.

Big man Joe Nkemakolam joined Ateneo's scoring foray, scoring a string of baskets in the shaded lane for a 41-36 halftime edge.

CRUCIAL MISTAKE

Desperate to keep their title-retention bid alive, the Archers staged a major run in the third anchored on the hot-shooting of JV Casio.
Casio made four triples in the period and almost single-handedly carried La Salle back into the game.

The Archers, however, suffered a jolting blow when Rico Maierhofer was ejected in the final 1:21 of the third period after he was whistled for a technical for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It was actually his second technical foul for the athletic forward after he was slapped with the same infraction at the 8:35 mark of the second period.

La Salle was just within three points at the start of the fourth, 47-50, but suddenly went ice-cold in the succeeding minutes, where it missed its first 10 attempts.

Compounding La Salle's woes was the fouling out of Casio in the final 2:24.
Tiu opened the fourth with three free throws, while Rookie of the Year Ryan Buenafe added two more gift shots for a 54-47 Ateneo lead.

Without Casio and Maeirhofer, La Salle failed to recover as it could only make four points in the fourth.

Tiu played his last game in the league by pacing Ateneo with 16 points, while the Casio, also a graduating player, topped La Salle with 18 markers.

BOX SCORES

ATENEO (62)- Tiu 16, Baclao 8, Nkemakolam 8, Al-Hussaini 7, Baldos 6, Buenafe 5, Reyes 5, Salamat 3, Austria 2, Escueta 2.

LA SALLE (51)- Casio 18, Maeirhofer 7, Walsham 6, Revilla 5, Atkins 3, Bagatsing 3, Mangahas 3, Barua 2, Malabes 2, Ferdinand 2.QUARTERSCORES: 16-10, 41-26, 50-47, 62-51.