NOT EVEN a 20-minute power outage could delay the inevitable.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles, despite finishing on top of the league standings at the end of the elimination round, found themselves one comeback too short. The Blue Eagles officially closed their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 77 campaign with their second consecutive loss to the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 63-65, on October 1 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In a season that saw them exceed the expectations of many, the Blue Eagles found themselves unable to convert with 9.35 seconds left to play in the game. NU’s Gelo Alolino managed to put the Bulldogs up down the stretch by converting both of his charities in the prior possession. Though Von Pessumal was able to find Kiefer Ravena on the inbounds play, this season’s Most Valuable Player fell short on what should have been the game-tying drive to the basket as it resulted into nothing more than a perfectly timed block from NU big man Alfred Aroga.
Despite scoring a total of 18 points, hauling in four rebounds and garnering a game high seven assists, Ravena suffered from a poor shooting day as he managed to knock down only six of his 24 attempted field goals. Graduating communication senior Chris Newsome carried much of Ateneo’s offensive load as he scorched the field on 10 of 15 shooting to score a total of 22 points. Starting point guard Nico Elorde, who has also maxed out his five years of eligibility, ended his UAAP career by scoring eight points and dishing out seven dimes, to tie Ravena’s game high statistic.
After the game, Ravena shared in a mixture of English and Filipino his biggest frustration about the loss, “As one of the leaders of the team, I wasn’t able to give it to Nico and New. That’s all I ever wanted, to give it to them [and] to make it to the finals.”
Eager to end their championship drought, the Bulldogs found themselves leading by as much as 12 points with 5:44 left to play in the first half. A 9-0 run that began with a Nico Javelona basket spelled early trouble for Ateneo as the score read 13-25 early in the second quarter. Refusing to give up, Newsome strapped the Blue Eagles on his shoulders as he scored on back-to-back baskets, the latter being a buzzer beating three-pointer, to spark a 5-0 run and cut the lead to five, 27-32, at the end of the first 20 minutes.
To begin the second half, the Bulldogs found themselves having to face a reinvigorated Ateneo defense that cut through their lead, slowly but surely. After being down for the entire duration of the game, the Blue Eagles were finally able to capture the lead via a Newsome jumper, 42-41, with 3:03 left in the third. Though NU found ways to repeatedly respond to Ateneo’s efforts, a five point surge by Pessumal to end the quarter allowed the Blue Eagles to enter the fourth with a one point lead over the Bulldogs, 47-46.
After entering the fourth with the lead, Ateneo managed to achieve their highest advantage of the game at three with 6:44 left to play care of an inside basket from Vince Tolentino. As go-to big man Ponso Gotladera quickly fell into foul trouble early on during the second, V. Tolentino ended up providing quality minutes for Coach Bo Perasol. V. Tolentino was able to effectively contain Aroga into scoring only six more points in the second half of the game.
Unable to hold off the surging Bulldogs however, no amount of defensive and offensive effort from the boys in blue could silence the resiliency of NU as a banked triple from Alolino at the 2:02 mark officially put them back on the grid and in control of the game. It was the two crucial free throws from Alolino, however, in the second to the last possession of the game that secured NU’s ticket to the finals, 63-65.
Though his collegiate career may not have ended in the way he imagined it to, Newsome knows that he will bring with him memories and things that extend beyond that of the hard court. “I’ve learned a lot from this program, what it really means to be Atenean, and I’m proud of that,” said Newsome. “We say it every time in our song, ‘Win or lose, it’s the school we choose,’ and I’m a firm believer in that. I chose Ateneo not only to play basketball but to get an education.”
Welp, games over for Ateneo and La Salle. We have a brand new cast of protagonists in the Finals. That took long to finally happen. It was as if either of these dominant schools (which practically starred in all championship series since the Final 4 era and even the years before, when Ateneo finally crashed the top two in 1987) just tried testing the fast changing landscapes of import reinforcement and trying to hold up on their own for as long as they could without resorting to foreign supports. But they have reached their limits. Schools like Ust, which started it all for this league after the now less popular Ncaa trailblazed the systemic recruitment, UE, and NU have all started flexing their muscles. And all the remnants of the schools which didn’t succumb to the change for parity, like UP, Ateneo, and Dlsu (in before “what about your own foreigners?”; they were not mvp materials fyi) were slowly but inevitably waylaid. But starting next year, after the residency, at least two of these schools will join the african-imports bandwagon. And it remains to be seen for how long the pioneers of this league will hold onto this fleeting or sustained dominance. The real test of dominance should have been kept at all Filipino or Fil-foreigners level. But when push comes to shove, it’s time to join the conference. Let’s see.
Good luck on the finalists.
Sorry I meant to write GL to the finalist or on the finals.