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MANILA, Philippines – Ryan Buenafe converted a three-point play with 5.1 seconds left in the game to push Ateneo de Manila University to a nerve-wracking 68-66 triumph over University of Santo Tomas before a wild and roaring crowd in the 75th UAAP men’s basketball tournament on September 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Cameroonian center Karim Abdul turned from hero to goat, committing a goaltend that awarded the Blue Eagles two points before Buenafe sank the bonus free throw, as the four-time defending champions closed their elimination round campaign on top with a 12-2 card.
Moments before, Abdul sank a medium range jumper that put them up, 66-65. A mental lapse on the part of the six-foot-eight center did the Growling Tigers in.
“The goal in the beginning was to stay in the top two,” said coach Norman Black, who rued what he thought was spotty officiating in the game. “I didn’t understand why there were no foul calls.”
The win assured Ateneo the top spot in the Final Four. The Blue Eagles will have at least one full week of rest before plunging into semifinals action, armed with a twice-to-beat advantage.
With guards Juami Tiongson and Kiefer Ravena delivering the goods, the Eagles pulled away early in the fourth and built a 61-53 lead.
But the Growling Tigers unleashed a 10-0 blast behind Aljon Mariano and Clark Bautista to retake the driver’s seat heading into crunch time, 63-61.
Ravena and Tiongson struck hard once more, giving the Katipunan-based crew a 65-64 bubble but Abdul snuck in a jumper with 7.7 seconds left to give UST the advantage one last time.
Mariano missed a stepback three-pointer as time expired.
Ravena finished with one of his best games this season, posting 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists punctuated by a monster slam over Abdul late in the second quarter.
Tiongson, meanwhile, poured in 7 of his 13 markers in the third, when Ateneo first asserted themselves after trailing for most of the first half.
On the other hand, Karim Abdul scored 22 points and hauled down 12 boards while Jeric Teng had a hot start before fizzling out and finishing with 12 markers as the Tigers slid to 9-4.
In the first game, Adamson University showered University of the East with 13 three-pointers to take an easy 89-69 win and move up to sixth place.
Rookie Jericho Cruz fired 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Soaring Falcons, which tied their victims at 3-10. – Rappler.com
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