Blue Eagles get back at Stags, force decider
Monday, 12 December 2011 165 Comments
THE Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles finally pinned a loss on the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.
The reigning, four-time UAAP champions forced the NCAA runners-up and Luzon-Metro Manila bracket champions to burn their twice to beat advantage, forging a winner-takes-all game for the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League title via a 56-51 last December 12 at the Arena in San Juan.
“The game was not very pretty, but as a coach, you take it any way you can get it,” said Ateneo head coach Norman Black, who used similar words to describe their close win over a depleted San Beda Red Lions team last week. “At least, it puts us in a position to be able to win a championship again.”
Both teams shot below 35 percent from the field after the opening 20 minutes, though Ateneo managed a slim 26-23 lead at the break. It was quickly overturned, however, as six straight points from San Sebastian opened the third quarter. The Blue Eagles countered with six unanswered of their own, but a transition score from Jovit dela Cruz and a putback by Ian Sangalang handed the Stags the edge, 33-32. It was at that point that the Blue Eagles caught fire, peeling off a 10-1 blast that had it at 42-34 with 4:43 left in the period. The momentum swing didn’t last long, though, as JP Erram was hit with his fourth foul while fighting for a rebound. He was then tagged with a technical foul, his second of the game, for tripping Michael Miranda, prompting his ejection and giving San Sebastian four free throws and an extra possession. But, the Stags were unable to capitalize, converting just one charity and missing on their next shot.
Nursing a 46-39 deficit, the Stags began the final quarter by eating away at the Ateneo advantage. After a long rest on the bench due to an injured left thigh, Calvin Abueva hit an improbable triple with Nico Salva draped all over him that sliced the lead down to 46-42. That began an extended drought for the Blue Eagles as they went scoreless for the first six minutes of the quarter until Kiefer Ravena knotted things at 48-all via the free throw line. A floater by Abueva gave the lead back to the Stags, but, it was temporary as Salva and Ravena dropped five straight. Abueva, the 2011 NCAA MVP, and graduating stopper Kirk Long exchanged splits at the foul line thereafter, handing the Blue and White a 54-51 advantage with less than a minute and a half left. That’s when the game turned on its head. With 1:04 remaining, Oping Sumalinog poked the ball out of Abueva’s possession. The King Stag was then whistled for his fifth trying to recapture the ball. On his way back to the bench, the controversial forward seemingly bumped into the referee intentionally, resulting in a technical foul levied on top of the prior whistle. That also led to Abueva’s ejection as it was his second technical in the game, allowing the Blue Eagles to boost their lead by two more points, 56-51, a count that withstood the game’s last moments as the Blue Eagles clamped down hard on the Stags quintet.
Salva led all scorers with 18 points and five rebounds, as the UAAP Finals MVP got multiple open looks from the high post against the Stags’ zone defense. “Nico operates very well from that position so he really produced for us offensively on a day when everyone else struggled,” noted Black. UAAP Rookie of the Year Ravena added 10 points, five boards and four dimes, while Greg Slaughter managed just seven markers, but made up for it with 14 boards.
Though he played just 27 minutes due to a combination of foul trouble and slight injury, Abueva managed 16 to lead his team, plus 10 rebounds and three assists. Dela Cruz added 11, while Ian Sangalang and AJ Vitug had nine each.
After committing just 12 turnovers versus the NCAA champion Red Lions the entire game, the Stags got into the Blue Eagles’ passing lanes and forced 26 turnovers, which led to 22 turnover points. Ultimately, though, Ateneo was able to get and convert more charities, going 13-of-20 from the stripe versus the 5-of-13 clip by San Sebastian.
The rubber match between these two squads will be held on Thursday, December 15, at 3:30 p.m. San Sebastian is shooting to become the first NCAA squad to take home the PCCL national title, while the Blue Eagles are looking for their third straight trophy and fourth in five years. Both Erram and Abueva will be suiting up for that game, as the PCCL rules have no provisions for suspending ejected players.
The scores:
Ateneo 56 – Salva 18, Ravena 10, Slaughter 7, Long 7, Gonzaga 5, Sumalinog 3, Golla 2, Chua 2, Tiongson 2, Austria 0, Erram 0, Monfort 0
San Sebastian 51 – Abueva 16, dela Cruz 11, Sangalang 9, Vitug 9, del Rio 2, Ferrer 2, Miranda 2, Maiquez 0, Balacunag 0
Quarter scoring: 11-9, 26-23, 46-39, 56-51
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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