Blue Eagles set up UAAP title duel with Tamaraws
MANILA, Phillippines—Ateneo quickly quashed any possibility of a tight series as the Blue Eagles came bursting out of the gates against the Adamson Falcons yesterday to march into the UAAP men’s basketball championship for the third straight season.
Propped by the smallest player on the court, the Blue Eagles soared past the Falcons, 68-55, in the last Final Four duel to arrange a championship showdown with the Far Eastern U Tamaraws.
Emman Monfort shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the field in the first half, including three triples that helped the defending champion Eagles to a 37-25 advantage in the second quarter at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum. The 5-foot-6 Monfort sustained his impeccable shooting on the way to a game-high 22 points while Kirk Long and Nico Salva also delivered as the Eagles went up by as many as 21 points, 60-39. The Eagles—who beat the Falcons twice in the eliminations by just a total margin of six points—also stretched their winning streak over the Falcons to 28 games dating back in 1997. “At least we’re able to get back there [in the Finals], now the challenge is to find a way to try to win it,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black of his back-to-back champion Eagles. “It has been a long road for us. It hasn’t been as smooth as it was the last two years, we had our ups and downs. But we still have a chance of winning the championship, which is the most important thing.” Game 1 of the best-of-three Finals will start at 4 p.m. on Saturday also at the Big Dome. It will be aired live for the first time on ABS-CBN’s main broadcast station on channel 2. The top-seeded Tamaraws advanced to the title round last Thursday after downing the fourth-ranked La Salle Green Archers in overtime, 69-59. Ateneo also wrapped up its own series in the junior division as the Blue Eaglets trounced the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs, 76-59. Finals MVP Kiefer Ravena averaged 26.7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.7 steals in the series to lead the Blue Eaglets to their first three-peat in over two decades. “As a senior you want to graduate as a champion, but now I will graduate not only as a champion, but also a part of history of Ateneo as the first team to win the three-peat,” said Ravena, the 16-year-old son of ex-pro Bong Ravena. Von Pessumal, Paolo Romero and Charles Dumrique also played key roles in leading the Eaglets to their first three-peat since winning four straight crowns from 1983 to 1986. “We played with a lot of energy today,” said Ateneo coach Jamike Jarin. “Our hunger to play was very evident in this game. There was no let down.” Black was as pleased with his squad. “We probably prepared better for this game than any game I’ve ever coached in Ateneo,” said Black. “We really broke down everything we’ve seen them do this entire league. Luckily for me, I have pretty intelligent players. They were able to grasp what we wanted to do defensively and we went out and executed it.” Monfort started in place of top guard Eric Salamat, who joined the team’s practice only a day earlier due to fever. Kirk Long shot 13 points and Nico Salva also collected 11 markers, seven rebounds and two blocks. “You can see it in the eyes of their players, they know how to handle this kind of situation,” said Adamson coach Leo Austria. “We were erratic and our decision making was poor. We still lacked experience.” Nothing went the Falcons way early in the game with their top guns misfiring as the Eagles zoomed to a 22-12 lead in the first quarter, built mostly on fastbreaks. Only Adamson guard Lester Alvarez finished in double figures with 11 points as the Falcons posted a dismal 27 percent shooting mark. Ravena and Pessumal were named to the junior Mythical Team along with season MVP Kevin Ferrer and Ismael Corre of UST and Rookie of the Year Roque Estoce of the National U Bullpups. Ravena topscored with 24 points and Pessumal had 15 markers as the Eaglets cruised to a 35-24 advantage by halftime before wrapping up the series at 2-1. The Eaglets held Ferrer to just an 11-point average in their last two wins after UST’s star forward exploded with 35 in the Tiger Cubs’ 77-71 Game 1 victory. The scores:
First Game
ATENEO 76—Ravena 24, Pessumal 15, Romero 14, Dumrique 14, Tenorio 5, Javelosa 3, Sacluti 1, Vitangcol 0, Suarez 0, Puno 0, Mercado 0, Lim 0, Gamboa 0, Gadia 0, Austria 0.
UST 59—Sarcia 17, Ferrer 13, Corre 9, Mison 7, Lazaro 6, Cabauatan 5, Gooh 2, Salas 0, Ilarde 0, Florentin 0.
Quarters: 23-14, 35-24, 54-47, 76-59
Second Game
ATENEO 68—Monfort 22, Long 13, Salva 11, Escueta 7, Salamat 7, Golla 2, Chua 2, Buenafe 2, Austria 2, Dela Cruz 0.
ADAMSON 55—Alvarez 11, Stinnett 7, Camson 7, Cabrera 7, Manyara 6, Colina 6, Nuyles 4, Lozada 4, Cañada 2, Galinato 1, Etrone 0.
Quarters: 22-12, 39-29, 60-42, 68-55 To GET scores, text ON INQ SPORTS and send to 4467
Emman Monfort shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the field in the first half, including three triples that helped the defending champion Eagles to a 37-25 advantage in the second quarter at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum. The 5-foot-6 Monfort sustained his impeccable shooting on the way to a game-high 22 points while Kirk Long and Nico Salva also delivered as the Eagles went up by as many as 21 points, 60-39. The Eagles—who beat the Falcons twice in the eliminations by just a total margin of six points—also stretched their winning streak over the Falcons to 28 games dating back in 1997. “At least we’re able to get back there [in the Finals], now the challenge is to find a way to try to win it,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black of his back-to-back champion Eagles. “It has been a long road for us. It hasn’t been as smooth as it was the last two years, we had our ups and downs. But we still have a chance of winning the championship, which is the most important thing.” Game 1 of the best-of-three Finals will start at 4 p.m. on Saturday also at the Big Dome. It will be aired live for the first time on ABS-CBN’s main broadcast station on channel 2. The top-seeded Tamaraws advanced to the title round last Thursday after downing the fourth-ranked La Salle Green Archers in overtime, 69-59. Ateneo also wrapped up its own series in the junior division as the Blue Eaglets trounced the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs, 76-59. Finals MVP Kiefer Ravena averaged 26.7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.7 steals in the series to lead the Blue Eaglets to their first three-peat in over two decades. “As a senior you want to graduate as a champion, but now I will graduate not only as a champion, but also a part of history of Ateneo as the first team to win the three-peat,” said Ravena, the 16-year-old son of ex-pro Bong Ravena. Von Pessumal, Paolo Romero and Charles Dumrique also played key roles in leading the Eaglets to their first three-peat since winning four straight crowns from 1983 to 1986. “We played with a lot of energy today,” said Ateneo coach Jamike Jarin. “Our hunger to play was very evident in this game. There was no let down.” Black was as pleased with his squad. “We probably prepared better for this game than any game I’ve ever coached in Ateneo,” said Black. “We really broke down everything we’ve seen them do this entire league. Luckily for me, I have pretty intelligent players. They were able to grasp what we wanted to do defensively and we went out and executed it.” Monfort started in place of top guard Eric Salamat, who joined the team’s practice only a day earlier due to fever. Kirk Long shot 13 points and Nico Salva also collected 11 markers, seven rebounds and two blocks. “You can see it in the eyes of their players, they know how to handle this kind of situation,” said Adamson coach Leo Austria. “We were erratic and our decision making was poor. We still lacked experience.” Nothing went the Falcons way early in the game with their top guns misfiring as the Eagles zoomed to a 22-12 lead in the first quarter, built mostly on fastbreaks. Only Adamson guard Lester Alvarez finished in double figures with 11 points as the Falcons posted a dismal 27 percent shooting mark. Ravena and Pessumal were named to the junior Mythical Team along with season MVP Kevin Ferrer and Ismael Corre of UST and Rookie of the Year Roque Estoce of the National U Bullpups. Ravena topscored with 24 points and Pessumal had 15 markers as the Eaglets cruised to a 35-24 advantage by halftime before wrapping up the series at 2-1. The Eaglets held Ferrer to just an 11-point average in their last two wins after UST’s star forward exploded with 35 in the Tiger Cubs’ 77-71 Game 1 victory. The scores:
First Game
ATENEO 76—Ravena 24, Pessumal 15, Romero 14, Dumrique 14, Tenorio 5, Javelosa 3, Sacluti 1, Vitangcol 0, Suarez 0, Puno 0, Mercado 0, Lim 0, Gamboa 0, Gadia 0, Austria 0.
UST 59—Sarcia 17, Ferrer 13, Corre 9, Mison 7, Lazaro 6, Cabauatan 5, Gooh 2, Salas 0, Ilarde 0, Florentin 0.
Quarters: 23-14, 35-24, 54-47, 76-59
Second Game
ATENEO 68—Monfort 22, Long 13, Salva 11, Escueta 7, Salamat 7, Golla 2, Chua 2, Buenafe 2, Austria 2, Dela Cruz 0.
ADAMSON 55—Alvarez 11, Stinnett 7, Camson 7, Cabrera 7, Manyara 6, Colina 6, Nuyles 4, Lozada 4, Cañada 2, Galinato 1, Etrone 0.
Quarters: 22-12, 39-29, 60-42, 68-55 To GET scores, text ON INQ SPORTS and send to 4467
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