Ateneo escapes gritty Letran, advances to PCC Finals
Saturday, 6 December 2008 1,462 Views / 45 Comments
DESPITE playing haphazard hoops for much of the game, defending UAAP champion Ateneo de Manila University advanced to the Finals of the Philippine Collegiate Championship after squeaking past Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 61-60, at the Arena in San Juan last December 6, 2008.
Freshman sensation Ryan Buenafe scored off what proved to be the game-winning drive with 40 seconds left to send the Blue Eagles to their second straight PCC finals appearance. The former NCAA juniors Most Valuable Player, who scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds, gave Ateneo the lead for good after Knights guard RJ Jazul sank a jumper to push the Knights on top, 60-59, with less than a minute left in the game.
Reigning UAAP MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini paced the Blue Eagles with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Jazul led the Knights with 13 points, four assists and five steals. Letran forward Dino Daa turned in a near double-double with 10 markers and nine boards before fouling out in the final period.
The Muralla outfit started strongly, blitzing its way to an 8-0 start in the opening minutes of the game with point guard Kojack Melegrito hitting a triple to jumpstart the run. The Blue Eagles, playing tentatively with only Eric Salamat and Kirk Long showing aggressiveness, found their shooting touch only after the 6-foot-7 Al-Hussaini established his presence in the paint.
It was a game marked by notable runs from both squads. Ateneo launched its own 8-0 run to tie the count at eight with four minutes left in the opening quarter. They controlled the game’s tempo thanks to a 6-0 surge in the second quarter, which gave them a commanding 14-point lead, 36-22, and followed it up with a 7-0 blast in the final three minutes of the same quarter to pull ahead, 46-36.
But the Knights responded with their own 15-6 assault before Daa committed his last foul with four minutes left in the game to trim the Ateneo lead to a solitary point, 52-51. He was then assessed a technical foul for excessive complaining, which then led to another series of runs from both teams before Letran swingman Rey Guevarra botched a last-second shot that could have handed his squad the game.
The highly-physical encounter netted the Knights a total of 24 team fouls – 13 more than Ateneo’s total. However, the Blue Eagles shot a measly 57 percent from the line, which kept the game close.
“We normally make 70 percent of our free throws,†Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga said. “And our [field goal] conversions and rebounds could have been better. The boys know that we could have pushed ourselves further.â€Â
Letran coach Louie Alas, for his part, could not hide his disappointment. “I’m very sad for the kids, no doubt, especially since this was the last game for five of my players [Daa, Melegrito, Alvyn Cabonce, Rey Dangcal and Regin Ranises]. Yes, we play a very physical game, and it’s part of what we are as a team. And in spite of the absence of three of my players, the other players had this motto that kept them going until the very end: We will make up for the ones who aren’t here.â€Â
“Hats off to Ateneo. They’re really the best,†added the multi-titled Knights mentor.
The scores:
Ateneo 61 – Al-Hussaini 24, Buenafe 11, Salamat 9, Reyes 8, Gonzaga 3, Baclao 2, Austria 2, Salva 2, Long 0, Baldos 0.
Letran 60 – Jazul 13, Daa 10, Guevarra 9, Belencion 5, Cortes 5, Gutilban 5, Cabonce 4, Ranises 3, Melegrito 3, Dangcal 3, del Rosario 0.
Quarter scores: 14-12; 39-24; 50-41; 61-60
(4 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
Grab the RSS
WordPress
congrats Ateneo, congrats din sa Letran, and ganda nung laban, down to the wire.
ang ganda ng game sobra…kahit talo kami.. ok lang..kasi nakapagbigay kami ng isang napakagandang laban sa UAAP Champs..,ang lakas talaga ng Ateneo, di ko nga akalain na magiging ganyan sa katapusan..,expected namin talaga Ateneo panalo pero hindi lang isa lamang.,but it was a nice game..,sayang lang yung last shot ni Guevarra.,haha.,nice blog!!
cnu nanalo sa beda-dlsu game?
@True_Red_Forever
hindi ko alam anu ang alama mater mo, pero alam kong nakakahiya ka sa kanila, hinay hinay lang sa mga salita.
peace.
@nicksy
nakakainis kasi talaga sila nung csjl-admu game eh.promise, ang yabang nila
@True_RED_Forever
ang tanung ko sayo may mangyayari ba kung sisiraan mo sila, o asarin mo sila, may magbabago ba sa resulta ng laro? tsong let them be, kung mayabang tlg sila, edi hayaan mo sila lamunin ng yabang nila, at the end you fought your best & clean.
peace.
@true_red_forever
mayabang na mga atenista… sila man may ari ng karamihan ng kayamanan ng pilipinas….
hindi naman sila pathetic LOSER gaya mo.
mabuhay ang ncaa, ang pumatay sa atin dating taga ncaa na sanay sa rugged and physical game(BUENAFE), parang na miss nga ni salamat at buenafe ang physical game at panay tawa sila at gustong gusto talunin ang letran, anyway it was a good game down the wire, hats of LETRAN you make NCAA proud, pana panahon lang yan!
proud to be batang NCAA…
Bravo Baste….
mabuhay ang ncaa, ang pumatay sa atin dating taga ncaa na sanay sa rugged and physical game(BUENAFE), parang na miss nga ni salamat at buenafe ang physical game at panay tawa sila at gustong gusto talunin ang letran, anyway it was a good game down the wire, hats of LETRAN you make NCAA proud, pana panahon lang yan!
proud to be batang NCAA…
Bravo Baste….
@True_RED_Forever,
naiinis ka ba talaga,
kung bitter ka umakyat ka nalang sa 20th floor tapos talon ka sa ground flour,
o kaya pasagasa ka sa hi-way,
dami pa naman options eh,
para malunasan yan bitterness mo.
@True_RED_Forever,
naiinis ka ba talaga,
kung bitter ka umakyat ka nalang sa 20th floor tapos talon ka sa ground floor,
o kaya pasagasa ka sa hi-way,
dami pa naman options eh,
para malunasan yan bitterness mo.
hay naku sayang talaga pero ok lng yan kasama sa laro ang pagkatalo hehehe e2 na hinihintay ni coach louise ang laban against SBC this will be the last time na makakalaban nila SBC with SAM EKWE kaya gusto nya talaga matalo SBC kaya kahit battle for 3rd lang to siguradong magandang laban parin to
A fantastic game.
I thought the Blue Eagles have the decided advantage in the rebounding department.
Iba talaga pag physical ang game.
Kung di ka sanay, titiklop ka talaga.
So sad I cant watch the Championship on monday.
Bull Shet!
I just have other priorities.
Go Ateneo! One Big Fight.
Arriba Letran.
Wait. Bakit pareho ang cheers and drum beats nang Ateneo at Letran. I assume that its Letran who copied from Ateneo, since Ateneo has their beats and cheers since the 30s. It was ugly, bitter in the ears. Letran, get that ball? And the Beats after a made free throw.
Bit after a game like that, I just dont wanna insult / offend anybody.
Peace.
It’s a good year-ender for collegiate basketball. Now that he dust have fallen, we know who the are among the best collegiate teams in the land are. It also showed which league is better. Come Monday, we will know who will be THE best. ADMU has to repeat over DLSU, otherwise the much earned bragging rights earned during the recent UAAP wars will be lost. AnADMU win will keep DLSU’s mouths shut till the next season and ADMU can bask in the glory the are the BEST in the land. Maganda ang laban sa Monday.
The Knights played a great game. I thought their win over FEU was a fluke as every Knight was hitting three pointers then. Not so this time but they still gave Ateneo a scare. I expected Ateneo to run the Knights to the ground. But the eagles are not versed in the physical game of the NCAA and almost lost. Que horro. then the dream match ADMU -DLSU for all the collegiate basketball marbles in the country would not have materialized. Mabuti na lang lumabas yung shot ni Rey Guevarra.
The game proves the Alas’system works. I can’t wait to see what he does with the new talents next year.
Despite the loss,Coach Louie got his wish. A final encounter with the Ekwe led Lions. This battle for third is also crucial. If CSJL defeats SBC, then they can lay claim to being the country’s unofficial ALL FILIPINO NCAA and ALL FILIPINO PCC champion. If SBC wins, they will be undisputed NCAA champs and the Knights claim will not be given credence.
Maganda ang bakbakan sa Lunes.
Bago manood ng games, magsimba muna, not so much to pray for any team’s win, but because it’s the feast of the Immaculate Conception. But of course Bedans, LaSallites, Letranistas, and Atenistas know that, being the top catholic schools in the country.
it was a great game naman, pero mas maganda kung nanalo, at least natiman ulit ng Ateneo physical game at angas ng NCAA, sabi nga ng isang commentator sa Ateneo “Welcome to the NCAA basketball.” hehe anyway, congrats Ateneo!
Arriba Letran!
“Amidst the test. The Knights do their Best!”
mxado kc na-internalize ng players ng ateneo ung pgiging atenean nila..lalo na c rabeh,salamat at buenafe..buti pa c nonoy humble tlga..feeling nila angat sila sa ibang players dahil sa ateneo sila naglalaro..peo pagdating ng mga yan sa pba maaalis ang yabang ng mga yan..
mxado kc na-internalize ng players ng ateneo ung pgiging atenean nila..lalo na c rabeh,salamat at buenafe..buti pa c nonoy humble tlga..feeling nila angat sila sa ibang players dahil sa ateneo sila naglalaro..peo pagdating ng mga yan sa pba maaalis ang yabang ng mga yan..at kung meron tlga skanila na my karapatang magyabang, un ay si chris tiu..dahil khit ndi xa mag pba magnda ang future nia..eh pano ung iba? maglalaro nlang sa liga pilipinas pag ndi nkapasok ng pba..
so indi totoo yung mga sinasabe ng iba diyan na indi kakayanin ng mga UAAP teams ang physical game at angas ng NCAA , considering 4 out 5 UAAP-NCAA games ay napanalunan ng UAAP teams, tapus pati champs at runner-up nila, natalo lang sa 2nd place at 3rd place ng UAAP…
in short: kayang kaya ng UAAP teams makipagsabayan sa “physical games” na ipanagmamayabang ng NCAA…
@staunchDefender
dapat sinabi dapat ng commentator, “Welcome BACK to the NCAA Basketball”
panalo si pacman
UAAP, tama ka, ngayong napatunayan na sa mga iba diyan na walang alam kung indi ipagmayabang na ang liga,bukod sa pinakamatanda, ay napaka-physical at hindi kayanin ng UAAP teams ang physicality,pero sa totoo lang, kayang kaya nila makipag-sabayan…
ngayon, ang tangi na lang maipagmamayabang ng NCAA ay sila ang pinakamatanda kasi di na nila pwede ipagmayabang ang physicality…
and of course, pwede rin nila ipagmayabang na they always gives their best no matter what, based on the performance na ginawa nila kahapon…
yun nga lang, di nila pwede sabihin at ipagmayabang na sila lang gumagawa nun sa buong pinas..
@BEDApoormansCSB
kawawa naman kayong mga NCAA, ginawa kayong ganiyan.
i’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow’s championship game and the FIFTH Ateneo-LaSalle game this year. Animo La Salle! :))
Animo La Salle! i’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow’s PCCL championship game and the FIFTH Ateneo-LaSalle game this year. especially since they moved the venue to the araneta. i was really hoping for that to happen. :))
At least Letran did a better job.
I think this is going to be the 7th Ateneo La Salle
game this year. I think La Salle beat Ateneo in the
Fil Oil then Ateneo eliminated La Salle in the semi
finals of the Nike Summer League. Then of course the
next 4 were the UAAP games where the champs blue
eagles won them all. Finally, this game.
So its 5-1 Ateneo.
[...] ateneo blue eagles squeaks past the knights [...]
Haaaayyy..
UAAP at I SALUTE.. hindi nyo naman talaga kaya ang physicality ng game e.. Lalo na yang ateneo.. hindi lang talaga siguro kaya ng letran manuhol.. kitang kita naman e.. grabe kakahiya talaga..
alam nyo.. siguro kung parehas lang ang laban.. malamang hindi kayo naka lamang..
tanggapin na naten yon..ganun talaga e.. Philippine Basketball full of shit!! puro politics.. grabe hindi nyo talaga kaya lumaban ng parehas tapos magyayabang kayo..
haaaay..
anyways, congrats sa ateneo players na hindi maangas.. kasi hindi rin naman siguro nila kasalanan yun e.. kasalanan yun ng “tao” na humahawak sa kanila..
@i salute
its only the ones from the ncaa who thinks basketball is about physicality.
In the Uaap, we believe in mental toughness, clutch composure, wits and running fundamental plays. That’s why we have better teams.
Congratulations to the Ateneo Blue Eagles. I’m pretty sure that y’day’s game against the Knights and their pressing, physical defense was something they’ve not seen or experienced. But ultimately, Ateneo’s talented line-up took over and escaped with a victory over the hustling, scrapping, perhaps over-achieving Letran squad. Hats off to Coach Louie Alas and his boys for giving the UAAP and defending PCC champs one helluva scare.
As with the LaSalle-San Beda game, this game COULD HAVE gone either way. Meaning if Rey Guevarra made his shot, it would have been a Letran-LaSalle finals. But the breaks went the Eagles’ way, so it is so…
Having been a product of schools from both leagues, and an avid follower of UAAP and NCAA basketball, I think that the gap between UAAP b’ball teams and their NC counterparts are very narrow than what most people think, contrary to what Franz Pumaren was quoted as saying. Did he mistake “mastery” to mean a one-point,last minute win? Anyone who is smart enough on the subject of basketball knows that domination or supremacy means lopsided wins.
@Grrr, you know your basketball, so you know what I mean.
Again, congratulations to the Blue Eagles. May we see one helluva PCC championship game at the Araneta Coliseum.
oh…so far it’s been a good season 4 the pcc… having the 4 schools with the best sports program… ahhh you know what to expect…. heart stopping games… both games ADMU-LC and DLSU-SBC were rili battled hard till the last sec… kudos to the 4 schools… win or lose… much respect from the bball fans…
sayang hindi natuloy yung kojack-cris tiu match-up. mas maganda pa yun dun sa dela hoya-pacquiao dream match.
congratulations Colegio de San Juan de Letran for winning the 2008 PCCL ALL FILIPINO Championship!
lahat ng final four teams may import!
ateneo-long
la salle – malabes, atkins
san beda – ekwe
so LETRAN is the ALL FILIPINO Champions of the 2008 PCCL!
arriba letran! congratulations!
@i salute..
chong ano ung pinagyayabang nyon na kaya nyo ncaa? ateneo? ateneo my ass… napanuod mo ba yung game? o nagbabasa ka lang ng mga articles? hehehe.. o baka naman hindi ka marunong magbasketball?
naging parehas ba laban? check mo nga chong.. o kaya paturo ka sa mga marunong mag basketball… tingnan mo nga kung sino nadaya..
Congrats AdMU – pero wag masyado mag-cheer ng malakas. Break-of-da-game ang nagpapanalo. Still, panalo is panalo. Ugly game for AdMU nga lang
Congrats na rin ss CSJL. Bawi rin sa SBC. No excuses. Maganda na naman ang nilaro ni Kojak.
Heto na lang para agree tayong lahat: Hindi nakakaantok ang PCC this year. Good league.
mental toughness? alumni toughness madami uaap nun at publicity…
NCAA PARIN!!!!!
@ariel bombguardia
mamatay ka sa ingit basura JRU mo wlang klalagayan. pra sa big schools lng dto!!!
congratulations LETRAN! 2008 PCCL All Filipino Champions!
kame dapat ang mag represent sa philippines sa university games at Serbia.
arriba!
@lancelot
Hindi nagamit ng La Salle si Batricevic. Display lang siya
Why did Ryan BUENAFE not play vs DLSU?
wag na ipilit ang letran.
sa basurahan lang yun.
kdnfkdnfdc
the uaap teams wee just lucky. escaping by 1 point.
hahaha
talk about luck.
heheh
go ncaa!
taas pala ni RABEH noh?? 6’7″