The Adamson Falcons’ run to the Finals of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League cemented their status as one of the premier college basketball teams in the country. The Falcons’ list of vanquished opponents boasts some of the biggest names in the university ranks like San Sebastian, FEU and De La Salle University.
But once again, a familiar foe stopped them short of the Promised Land as the Ateneo Blue Eagles capped their historic season off by defending their PCCL championship, 73-67 on December 6, 2010 at the Fil-Oil Arena in San Juan.
Neither team was able to build any momentum in the first quarter as the game stayed in a relative deadlock with the lead never breaching the four point barrier either way. Austin Manyara keyed the Falcons with all six of his points coming in the first quarter.
But a quick five point burst from Kirk Long, who finished with a game high 25 points, pushed the Blue Eagles past the Adamson side, and his set up of Jason Escueta in the last minute of the first gave Ateneo a one point advantage heading into the second quarter, 14-13.
A pair of free throws at the 7:50 mark by Nico Salva gave Ateneo a five point lead, but a 15-0 run punctuated by back-to-back three pointers by Lester Alvarez, swung the momentum in favor of the Adamson Falcons.
Pressure defense forced the Ateneo ball handlers to cough up the ball an uncharacteristic 10 times by halftime, and failure to secure the defensive rebound afforded the San Marcelino side shot after shot. A small run by Ateneo narrowed the deficit to three, but a late triple by Alvarez pushed the lead back to six heading into the half.
For the second time in a row, the third quarter proved to be the pivotal stanza. Bursting out of the halftime break, the Blue Eagles kicked up the intensity, led by blue collar center Frank Golla, who earned a trip to the line after corralling three offensive rebounds on the opening play of the half.
The vaunted Ateneo fast break was fed by the stream of defensive rebounds the Blue Eagles grabbed after Adamson’s attempts from long range started to draw rim.
With momentum clearly in their favor, the UAAP champs pushed ahead, outscoring the Falcons, 28-11, in the quarter. The run saw Long bank in a spinning left hander and a buzzer-beating one-handed put back by King Eagle Eric Salamat.
No strangers to comebacks, the Adamson Falcons looked to turn the tables on the Blue Eagles, pushing the pace offensively. With contributions from dynamic forwards Jan Colina, Eric Camson and Lester Alvarez, the Falcons pulled to within four after an inadvertent tip in by Golla resulted in two points for Adamson at the 2:37 mark.
But as he had all day, Long would respond by knocking in his fifth three-pointer of the night with 1:40 remaining, giving the Blue Eagles a seven point cushion that they would not relinquish.
The win gave the Ateneo Blue Eagles their third PCCL title in four years, breaking the record for most tournament wins by a school. By winning the Manny V. Pangiligan Perpetual Trophy, Ateneo has won the right to represent the Philippines in the upcoming 18th Super Kung Sheung Cup on December 14-19 in Hong Kong.
After the game, Blue Eagle forward Nico Salva was named the tournament MVP and was joined in the Mythical Five team by fellow Blue Eagle Kirk Long, Falcons Lester Alvarez and Alex Nuyles and University of Cebu Webmaster Junmar Fajardo. Blue Eagle Head Coach Norman Black was also awarded the Coach of the Tournament honor.
Quarter Scoring: 14-13, 27-33, 55-44, 73-67
Boxscore:
Ateneo 73: Long 25, Salva 24, Golla 7, Salamat 7, Austria 5, Monfort 3, Escueta 2
AdU 67: Camson 15, COlina 13, Alvarez 12, Nuyles 11, Manyara 6, Canada 4, Lozada 3, Brondial 2, Stinnett 1
