A Fumbling Start
FEU 72 vs. ADMU 69
words by rick olivares pic by arvin lim
The Ateneo Blue Eagles and FEU Tamaraws entered their Sunday match-up both with slight chips on their shoulder.
For the defending champs, in the last three years, most basketball observers pegged them as a team second only to the Tamaraws. It was said that when Chris Tiu graduated the team would fall apart. Without Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao, and Jai Reyes, this team was in trouble. Even after two consecutive titles, the Tamaraws were still the seeded team. And that suits Norman Black perfectly fine. “We have to settle things on the basketball court,” he noted.
For the Tamaraws, oh, there were questions aplenty but none more serious than their heart and mental toughness. They had two chances to bag a pre-season title (in the Fil Oil tournament where they lost to eventual titlist San Sebastian in a controversial ending and in the Fr. Martin Cup semifinals to Mapua) yet the came away empty. It only fueled their desire to snatch that crown away from Ateneo. “To be the best kailangan you have to beat the best,” said former FEU coach Bert Flores who now works on the staff of current head coach Glenn Capacio.
After Ateneo’s Fil Oil loss to Adamson, the coaching staff made one switch to the starting unit – they installed team captain Eric Salamat as the point guard in place of Emman Monfort who went back to the second unit. Kirk Long swung to the two-spot while Nico Salva moved down to the three while Frank Golla and JP Erram manned the four and five respectively.
The Tamaraws went with a three-guard attack of Ryan Garcia, team captain Jens Knuttel at the point and Ping Exciminiano at the two while Reil Cervantes and Al Ramos were at the four and five spots.
Both units, save for Salamat and Garcia, could hardly be said to be an offensive force and the early goings the result was a low scoring affair. Long, has enjoyed a rebirth of sorts as a defensive stopper and he held Garcia scoreless in the first 10 minutes as Ateneo took the first quarter 15-11.
On Ateneo’s offensive end, Blue Eagle rookie Art de la Cruz Jr. who took Salva’s old spot on the fiery second unit, came in and scored all his 10 points during a stretch between the first and second quarters.
The Tamaraws called time and set two or three screens to free Garcia for either an open shot or a pick and roll. The second of daylight was all he needed to find the range from trifecta country. And with two deadly snipers in the wings (Paul Sanga was the other), it stretched Ateneo’s defense and brought in FEU’s big men who took charge of the inside lane. FEU took the half 35-30.
What proved ominous for Ateneo was that they were silent from three-point country as they shot 0-8. The Tams were 5 of 12 on the other hand and with their plethora of long range shooters, hoped to knock down a few more because they knew that the champs were going to make that eventual rally.
At the resumption of the game, Ateneo uncorked an 8-2 run that saw them take the lead 38-37 after Salamat’s lay-up. But rather than crumble as the cheers of the blue gallery grew louder, the Tams came charging back as Al Ramos hit a medium range jumper as a see-saw ensued.
While Ateneo was shooting better from 2-point range than the Tamaraws, their inability to unclog the lane with some needed three-point shooting made life difficult. Ateneo could only score 7 second chance points to FEU’s 21.
Even without a Nonoy Baclao-type stopper inside, the Blue Eagles were still getting the job done on defense. They parlayed that into 19 fastbreak points that was highlighted when Long anticipated Pippo Noundou’s kick out as he scooted away for a lay-up and two of his 11 points.
And as incredible as it may sound, Ateneo hardly coughed up that ball to turnovers especially unforced ones. That is until the final 16 seconds.
After Ryan Buenafe hit a long jumper to bring Ateneo close 70-69, they stopped the Tams on their next possession. With a chance to eke out a win, Buenafe passed to first-year player Jason Escueta on the right side. Unable to get in, he passed it out to Buenafe who zipped it over to Monfort who ran from the right side all the way to the left hoping for an open three. As he fielded the ball, he slipped and it prevented him from taking a shot. The Tamaraws converged on the ball hoping to force a jump ball but the ball that went back to Buenafe and to Escueta rolled out of bounds into a FEU possession. It was Ateneo’s 11th turnover of the match, small as compared to FEU 21 but none the more crucial.
After Ryan Garcia was fouled to send him to stripe, he promptly missed the first and left a sliver of chance for Ateneo to either send the game into overtime or win it outright. Garcia lived up to his billing as a big game player. Perhaps the best one to come out of the much ballyhooed RP Youth Team of two years ago. He swished the second free throw to give FEU a 71-69 lead.
Rather than force a shot from the outside where Ateneo was a miserable 1-14 (the only shot coming from Monfort that tied the match 67-all with 2:13 left to play), the Blue Eagles drove inside. But Nico Salva missed a reverse lay-up and Cervantes snatched the defensive board and added one more free throw to end the scoring.
The closeness of the outcome against FEU notwithstanding, it still left a sour taste on the defending champs’ mouths who found themselves down in the first weekend standings 0-1 alongside UP, NU, and UE. The last time Ateneo lost an opening game was on July 10, 2005; a 78-60 defeat to La Salle.
After the game, both teams addressed some of those questions and though it’s only one game, its sheer play-off intensity left many saying that this was perhaps the finals preview.
The parts might have changed for the Blue Eagles but the system is intact, as Capacio noted. “That’s why they are always the ultimate test.” he said as he paid respect to their fallen nemesis. But to see Ateneo hold off, spot FEU a lead, and battle until the final second of the game, it isn’t a perfect world, but you have to like what you see.
FEU 72 – Garcia 25, Cervantes 13, Ramos 10, Sanga 9, Bringas 8, Noundou 3, Romeo 2, Exciminiano 2, Mendoza 0, Knuttel 0, Cawaling 0
ADMU 69 – Salva 14, Buenafe 13, Long 10, dela Cruz 10, Escueta 6, Salamat 6, Monfort 3, Erram 2, Golla 2, Chua 2, Gonzaga 0, Austria 0
Notes: Eric Salamat suffered a contusion on his knee. But he will be okay for the next match against Adamson this Thursday at 2pm at the Philsports Arena. The game featured 9 deadlocks and 13 lead changes. FEU’s Ryan Garcia led his side with 2 blocks. Kirk Long had 4 steals, the best for any individual player in the opening weekend of games.
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