THE UST-Ateneo rivalry added another chapter to its catalog of exhilarating battles as the Blue Eagles escaped with a 70-69 victory in Game 2 of the Philippine Collegiate Champion’s League (PCCL) Finals yesterday at FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

     Sophomore Eagle Kiefer Ravena coasted for the game-winning layup with 11 seconds left in the game to once again act as the party-spoiler for UST. He finished with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists.

     UST Team Captain Jeric Fortuna led the Tigers with 18 points, while Jeric Teng and Aljon Mariano combined for 28 points and 12 rebounds.

     The storyline was much familiar.

     Ateneo got off to a fiery start, leading by as much as 17 in the first quarter after five combined 3-pointers from Ravena and Tonino Gonzaga. Center Greg Slaughter continued the onslaught for Ateneo in the second quarter, pounding his much smaller opponents inside to help his team get a 43-30 halftime lead.

     It was almost as if the UST faithful knew what was going to happen in the second half. The Tigers came out of the dugout a different team, producing a better defensive effort and better offensive ball movement. A balanced attack from Fortuna, Teng, and Kevin Ferrer in the third quarter chipped away at Ateneo’s lead to get to as close as 49-54.

     The Tigers’ furious rally unleashed a 10-0 run featuring a 4-point play from Teng to claim the lead at 59-57. A seesaw battle ensued, as Ateneo regained the lead at 62-59. Fortuna connected on a booming triple to tie the game, but the momentum was briefly halted when center Karim Abdul was called for a blocking foul and a technical which were his fourth and fifth fouls, causing his disqualification from the game with about 4 minutes left. He contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds.

     After Slaughter and forward Nico Salva’s charities plus a Ravena trey, Fortuna answered back with another 3 point bomb to cut the deficit to one at 67-68. A Ferrer fastbreak layup got UST its last taste of the lead at 69-68.

     UST Coach Pido Jarencio, who recently recovered from measles, was still in high spirits when he was interviewed inside the Tiger’s dugout after the loss. “Bumabalik yung team natin, ano pa yung hihingin mo sa mga bata? ‘Di nawawalan ng pag-asa yang mga yan,” Jarencio told TomasinoWeb.

     The loss denied the Growling Tigers of bagging the national collegiate crown, at least for another week. Game 3 will be played at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig on December 7.

Tigers’ scores: Fortuna 18, Abdul 13, Teng 12, Mariano 12, Ferrer 8, Bautista 4, Afuang 2, Pe 0, Daquioag 0
Eagles’s scores: Ravena 21, Slaughter 14, Gonzaga 13, Salva 9, Tiongson 7, Buenafe 4, Sumalinog 2, Golla 0, Pessumal 0, Chua 0, Elorde 0
Quarter scores: 14-28, 30-43, 49-57, 69-70

By Nicolo Paolo A. Pascual
Photo courtesy of Joshua John Albelda