Salamat steers Ateneo to Game 2 win in PCCL

Facing the possibility of playing his final game in an Ateneo uniform, Eric Salamat preserved his best for last. Salamat knocked in 15 points, including a string of three-pointers, in the fourth quarter alone to steer the Blue Eagles to a 70-59 win over the Adamson Falcons in Game Two of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) finals at the Philsports Arena in Pasig. The Eagles and the Falcons square off in Monday’s winner-take-all championship match at The Arena in San Juan. At stake is the Manny V. Pangilinan Perpetual Trophy, P400,000 worth of athletic goods, and the right to represent the country in the Super Kung Cheung Cup next week in Hong Kong. With their season hanging in the balance, the embattled defending champion Blue Eagles rose to the challenge. And they had Salamat to thank for. "It was a good time for Eric Salamat to bust out and have a big game for us. He kept us alive and gave us a chance to fight for another day," said Ateneo coach Norman Black. Trailing 10 points in the first period, 8-18, and 24-30 at halftime, the Loyola-based squad responded with more energy in the next 20 minutes of play. Salamat, the lefty combo guard, outscored the Falcons, 7-0, to turn a slim 33-32 Ateneo lead into a 40-32 advantage with about six minutes left in the third. In the fourth period, Salamat hit back-to-back triples that pushed Ateneo's lead to 59-47 with 5:22 remaining in the contest. Salamat finished with 24 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the three-point area while adding four assists in 23 minutes of action. His timely performance gave Ateneo a win in a game marred by a near walkout by Adamson with four minutes left in the game and the Eagles on top, 64-53. Rodney Brondial was on his way to score a fastbreak basket off a pass from Alex Nuyles that could have trimmed the gap to only five. But Brondial was called for a traveling violation. The call drew the ire of coach Leo Austria, whose team appeared to have regained momentum. After Nicolas Salva scored to make it a 62-53 advantage for Ateneo, the Falcons sued for time and Austria received a technical foul for continuous complaining. Eman Monfort hit two free throws for a 64-53 advantage and Adamson nearly walked out of the court. The team received a warning for delay of game. What led to the Falcons' downfall was their quiet production in the second half. They were outscored by the Eagles, 29-56, in the last 20 minutes of play. "We didn't have much energy on offense and defense, and I challenged them at halftime to play with more energy in the second half," said Black. Jan Colina led Adamson with 18 points and seven boards while Roider Cabrera and Lester Alvarez had 10 points apiece. Nuyles, who had 13 markers in Game 1, including his game-winning lay-up, had only five points on a dismal 1-of-6 shooting from the field. Earlier, the much-awaited showdown between two highly-touted high school players — Kiefer Ravena of Ateneo and Baser Amer of San Beda — ended in a thrilling finish. Ravena and the rest of the Blue Eaglets put one over Amer’s Red Cubs, 87-85. Down by seven with less than a minute left, the Red Cubs still managed to tie the game that had seen them leading by as much as 13 points before a torrid Eaglets run in the third quarter. With Amer facing him in the last 11 seconds after an Ateneo timeout, Ravena hit a buzzer-beating jumper for a dramatic ending to the dream showdown between the reigning UAAP champions and the NCAA titlists. Ravena, who is still undecided where he will play in college next season, finished with 34 points on 13-of-29 shooting. He added six rebounds and four assists. Amer, Ravena’s counterpart as an equally popular high school standout, had 21 points, seven rebounds, 16 assists and three steals. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV