Blue Eagles dominate Tams to take Game 1

Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) showed rookie finalist Far Eastern University (FEU) the heart and poise of a champion. Displaying the swagger of a two-time defending champion, the three-peat-seeking Blue Eagles dominated the top-seeded Tamaraws throughout the game in cruising to a 72-49 triumph in Game 1 of their best-of-three title series in the UAAP men's basketball tournament on Saturday at the packed Araneta Coliseum. Even the absence of back-up center Jason Escueta, who was serving a one-game suspension, proved to be a non-factor for Ateneo as Justin Chua, Nico Salva and third-string big man JP Erram held their own against FEU’s frontline. Erram, Salva and Frank Golla took care of the defensive end. Chua and Kirk Long piled up the points while Emman Monfort and Eric Salamat provided the court leadership as the Blue Eagles moved one win away from winning their third straight crown. "We didn’t expect to win the game with a big margin. We just prepared hard for this game and executed good perimeter defense. But it takes two games to win the title. We expect FEU to bounce back," said Ateneo coach Norman Black, who can wrap up the series with another victory in Thursday’s Game 2. Beaten twice by the Tamaraws in the elimination round, Ateneo played differently this time around, running and scoring on unmolested lay-ups. They showed great composure against an FEU squad that last claimed the title in 2005. After a 2-2 count, the Blue Eagles went to work and slowly distanced themselves from the Tams. From a 12-6 count, Ateneo tore off with two charities and five straight fastbreaks for a devastating 12-0 run. The opening period ended with the Eagles enjoying a 26-8 advantage, and they were never threatened at all after that. The lead ballooned to to 26 at 47-21 with a Salva jumper and a three-pointer by Long in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Long finished with 14 points and five rebounds, Chua added 13 markers and five boards while Salva had a near double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Monfort, who also had seven rebounds, and Salamat combined for 17 points and 10 assists. Buenafe only scored two points but had four rebounds and four assists. Even the Ateneo bench helped the team's cause with back-up shooting forward Bacon Austria scoring eight points, Golla grabbing seven rebounds, and the seldom-used Erram contributing four points, three rebounds and five shot blocks. Ateneo's second unit totally outplayed its FEU counterparts, 32-12. FEU's eight points in the opening period and total output were season lows for the team. The 49 points the Tams scored are the lowest since a 64-63 loss to Adamson on August 12, 2010. While the Eagles shot an impressive 47.5 clip (29-of-61) from the field, the Morayta-based squad could only muster 27 per cent as they missed 46 of their 63 attempts from the floor. Only RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo finished in double figures for the Glen Capacio-mentored Tams, with 11 and 10 points respectively. FEU big men Reil Cervantes and Aldrech Ramos, despite each having an 11-rebound effort, was held by the Ateneo defense to seven and six markers apiece. Ateneo also turned 14 FEU turnovers into 16 points while scoring 15 markers off the fastbreak compared to none by the Tams. – Jonathan Perez, GMANews.TV