Elevation: AdMU vs. FEU Finals Game 1 (UAAP S74 Final Four Special Recap)

Ateneo 82, Far Eastern U 64
Blue Eagles lead series 1-0

Maybe it's part of the Philippine society, as a third world country that has gone through a variety of ups and downs throughout history, to be hardwired to love underdog stories. Filipinos always have a growing fascination and following to those who started out as someone in the middle, struggling to get pieces together and solving tensions within, and then come out victorious after slaying a behemoth of an opponent.

Recently, a lot have already sided to those who, at face value, were not meant to be on the winning side, but beat all odds to come out on top, and this applies as well in basketball. The Dallas Mavericks, armed with aging stars who has to make this one last push, became easy favorites when against a Miami Heat composed of Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, all superstars in their own right. In the PBA, fans were on the Petron side of the Smart Araneta Coliseum, because many believed that it is nigh time for a star-laden Talk 'N Text team to end the streak and pass the trophy on to someone who wants it more than they do.

Last season, the Blue Eagles were in the same position, although because of their back-to-back championships, some UAAP fans wanted the FEU Tamaraws to win, just for a change. Having no definite superstar to save them from close games, bearing a 10-4 record, and having lost to the FEU Tamaraws twice in the eliminations, the Blue Eagles had their backs on the wall, with only the drive for a three-peat to give get past through possibly three Finals games. The Tamaraws, then, had all that they needed to dispatch the Blue Eagles and end their title run.

But the unexpected happened, the first game was a surprise, as Ateneo played superb defense and made use of all their fastbreak opportunities to put away the Tamaraws and gain the upper hand in the Finals series, with a 72-49 game 1 score card.

Of course, the Blue Eagles went on to win their third straight title through a game-saving three by Ryan Buenafe in a gut-wrenching 65-61 win during the second game. While this is fresh for the Blue Eagles and the fans, this is a finished chapter for the Tamaraws. Now that they are in an underdog position in the Finals, having beaten the Soaring Falcons, the only team that perhaps could give a scare to the Blue Eagles, they are out to exact revenge on the team that deprived them of what they think they deserve, considering that they were at their best last year. Many believed that with their superb play during the semis, they could topple the powerful Blue Eagles who dominated all through out the entire season, only to come out short in their last game and was saved by the buzzer during their semis match against the UST Tigers.

However, things seemed to be out of sync for the Tamaraws early in the first half of the Game 1. After an initial 6-0 Blue Eagle run, Coach Bert Flores called timeout to cool things down, and fortunately , it worked for them for they were in control for the rest of the first quarter, leading by five by the end of it.

The Tamaraws even ballooned the lead to ten during the second quarter. The Blue Eagles, on the other hand, did not want this crucial game to be like their second round encounter against the Tamaraws, so they stepped on the gas pedal right away. They staged a huge 15-5 run led by Kiefer Ravena, as they tied the game during halftime at 33 apiece. Perhaps what could have turned the tide in favor of the Blue Eagles was the insertion of JP Erram, who provided a boost on defense when Greg Slaughter and Justin Chua were sitting on the bench. The second year Forward-Center was able to contribute well on defense, and he even scored a few charity buckets to get things going for the Blue Eagles.

Fans from both sides were excited by the fact that this could be another gut-wrenching game where both teams have to play cat-and-mouse until the final minute. However, they forgot that it was at the second half were the Blue Eagles bring out their best and maul down their opponents, and as the buzzer signaled to start the third quarter, the Blue Eagles were more than determined to end this game as early as possible.

And what happened afterwards was a repeat of last season's Game 1. The Blue Eagles again found opportunities to score off turnovers and grab crucial defensive rebounds. After three-fourths of the game was finished, the Tamaraws found themselves trailing by 11 at the start of the third. The Blue Eagles did not let their guard down in the final canto, as they continued to slaughter (no pun intended) the Tamaraws, who have lost their composure and decided to chuck in low-percentage shots and just hand the ball (and the game) over to the Blue Eagles. With a few more buckets here and there, including dunks made by Greg Slaughter and "Mr. Perfect" Nico Salva, who had a perfect field goal and free throw shooting performance during that day, the Blue Eagles destroyed the Tamaraws' hope for an early advantage with an 18-point victory, 82-64.

After the game, there was nothing much to say at the side of the Green and Gold. Even Coach Bert Flores was highly amazed at the near-perfect (because the Blue eagles can do better than that) game that Ateneo had in the second half. But this would not faze the hopes of the Tamaraws. For the third time this season, they promised a better game, and hopefully that will happen for them.

The Scores:

Ateneo 82 – Salva 24, Ravena 17, Slaughter 12, Monfort 11, Long 8, Erram 4, Tiongson 4, Chua 2, Gonzaga 0, Golla 0, Austria 0

FEU 64 – Romeo 23, Escoto 12, Ramos 9, Garcia 6, Exciminiano 6, Tolomia 5, Pogoy 2, Cruz 1, Sentcheu 0, Bringas 0

Quarter scoring: 14-19, 33-33, 60-49, 82-64

Credits to Inboundpass for the box and Fabilioh for the pic.