PCCL: Ateneo survives horrendous shooting, nips San Sebastian to forge game two

MANILA, Philippines – Defending champion Ateneo bucked a horrendous shooting night to conquer San Sebastian, 56-51, and forged a winner-take-all finals match in the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) Monday at the Arena in San Juan.

With only one field goal conversion in the entire payoff period, the Blue Eagles leaned on their steady free throw shooting and defense down the stretch to survive the Stags, who had a twice-to-beat edge.

Ateneo nailed eight of its 12 attempts from the stripe in the fourth period even as Kiefer Ravena, who punched in 10 points, connected on a tough turnaround jumper to regain the lead with 2:39 left.

“The game was not pretty but we’ll take it. We practiced bad yesterday [Sunday] and we played bad today [Monday]. We just outlasted them in the end,” an exhausted head coach Norman Black told the reporters after the game.

“Everybody contributed [to the 26 turnovers]” Black jested.

Ateneo also missed all but three of its 19 shots from beyond the arch.

Nico Salva was the only one who constantly lit up the scoreboard for Ateneo as he finished with a game-high 18 points, which went along with five rebounds.

Seven-foot center Greg Slaughter struggled offensively for the Blue Eagles but still pulled down 14 rebounds.

The Blue Eagles seemed to have gotten their groove in the second half where they opened up a nine-point gash, 46-37, before the end of the third quarter.

But San Sebastian, which rallied behind its best player Calvin Abueva, easily erased the deficit on an eight-to-nothing swing.

Abueva, who fouled out with still more than a minute left to play and a game on the line, still finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds – albeit with 10 turnovers – despite being a marked man.

“I don’t think you can really stop Calvin Abueva,” said Black. “We put a bigger guard on him [this game.”

Ateneo, which has never missed the finals of the PCCL in the last five years, and San Sebastian, which dominated in the final four, square off for the decider on Thursday, 3 p.m., at the same venue.