Photo by Sarah N. Aquino

IN A season so aptly themed “All Heart, All Out,” the Ateneo Blue Eagles finally showed the rest of the UAAP that they aren’t just front runners, coming back from a 16 point deficit to top fellow Season 73 Finalists Far Eastern University (FEU), 74-67, on August 13 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Despite blowing out the same FEU squad six days ago, few believed that these Tamaraws would simply roll over for the defending three-time champions. On the contrary, it was the shorthanded side from Morayta—missing Cameroonian import Christian Sentcheu and the sweet-shooting JR Cawaling—who took control of the first half.

FEU Head Coach Bert Flores’ decision to switch Season 73’s defensive player of the year Aldrech Ramos on to leading MVP candidate Greg Slaughter paid dividends early for FEU, holding the 6-foot-11 Ateneo center to three points through two quarters. Dropping back on defense was a priority for the FEU side, shackling the relentless Blue Eagle attack, which failed to convert on the break in the first half.

On the offensive end, the Tamaraws leaned on reigning MVP RR Garcia who orchestrated the FEU offense to the tune of 12 points and five assists in the first half—none more impressive than his backdoor lob to Russel Escoto for an alley-oop to push their lead to 15 with less than two minutes to play.

After being held scoreless in the first half, Kiefer Ravena came to life in the third quarter, scoring seven points in the period and buoying the Blue Eagles’ comeback attempt. Much needed inside scoring from Justin Chua and Slaughter, who knotted four points apiece in the canto, helped whittle down FEU’s lead to five, 47-42, by the quarter’s end.

Nico Salva’s fourth quarter spurred on the Ateneo comeback push, scoring seven points of his game-high 19 on a selection of midrange jumpers and drives to the rim. It was Salva’s basket at the 3:20 mark that pulled the Blue Eagles to within one before FEU’s 5-0 run with under a minute and a half to go was capped off by Garcia’s third three-pointer of the night.

But the final flurry came from the Blue Eagles, who faced a six point deficit with less than a minute to play before the veteran Emman Monfort picked off an inbound pass and finished the fast break to trim the lead to four, 63-59.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Terrence Romeo coughed the ball up on the ensuing possession, stepping out of bounds after evading the Blue Eagle press, which allowed Ravena to cut the lead to just two points at the forty five second mark.

A defensive stand by the Katipunan side resulted in a missed opportunity by Ramos, setting up Ravena’s game-tying drive with just 8.8 seconds left in regulation. Three different Blue Eagles challenged a shot attempt by FEU’s Carl Bryan Cruz. With the miss, the boys in blue had forced overtime.

The extra period was simply too much for FEU’s tired legs. Their first three attempts were turned back by Ateneo’s front line of Salva and Slaughter. Meanwhile, Ateneo’s core of Salva, Slaughter and Ravena combined for nine of Ateneo’s 11 overtime points and it was Slaughter’s put back with under a minute to go that dashed the hopes of a miracle comeback on the half of FEU.

Nico Salva’s all around performance led the Blue Eagles with a game high 19 points and nine rebounds and it was his consistent ability to get the shots he wanted that allowed the Blue Eagles to close the gap in the fourth. Despite a slow start, Slaughter still managed a double-double, finishing with 14 points to go with 10 rebounds.

The offensive production from both sides was nearly identical, as both sides shot poorly from the field (35.7% to 35.5% in favor of Ateneo) and the line (64.5% to 66.7%).  The difference in the game, however, was the frequency with which players could get attempts at the stripe, as Ateneo enjoyed 19 more free throw attempts, resulting in 12 more points.

Up next for the 8-0 Blue Eagles are the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers. The main event game on August 20, the bout will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Scoring Leaders:

ADMU, 74: Salva 18, Ravena 15, Slaughter 14, Chua 9, Monfort 7, Gonzaga 6, Long 3, Austria 2, Golla 0, Tiongson 0

FEU, 67: Garcia 17, Romeo 11, Cruz 10, Ramos 8, Escoto 7, Bringas 6, Tolomia 5, Exciminiano 3, Knuttel 0, Mendoza 0, Pogoy 0

Quarter Scoring: 13-21, 25-38, 42-47, 63-63, 74-67 (OT)