In 'perfect game,' Ateneo dumps FEU, moves closer to 4-peat

"They played a perfect game." That may have just been Far Eastern University coach Bert Flores consoling himself after his Tamaraws lost an early lead to the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Defending champion Ateneo went on to a 82-64 win with a ferocious display of balanced firepower in the second half of Game 1 of the UAAP men's basketball finals Saturday. It wasn't actually a flawless game for Ateneo but veteran forward Nico Salva was a perfect 8 of 8 from the field. Salva scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half to lead Ateneo but his teammates made timely baskets to stanch any possibility of an FEU comeback. Four Ateneo players scored in double digits. Together they moved Ateneo closer to winning a fourth straight title. "My teammates were able to recognize the open man and I just took the open shots," Salva said about his spotless individual effort. The Blue Eagles will try to wrap up the series and win the title on Tuesday also at the Big Dome. Pinpoint passing and a swarming defense, aided by FEU's defensive breakdowns, helped Ateneo's breakaway in the third period. The Blue Eagles outscored the Tamaraws in the third, 27-16, to finally gain control of the contest after a tightly-fought first half. Salva, who also had six rebounds, was the main dagger in Ateneo's third quarter assault. The veteran forward had six points, including a dunk, in an 8-0 Ateneo run that shattered a 45-all count. "I already set in my mind to go to Nico and not go much to Greg (Slaughter) mainly because I knew that they’ll double team him (Slaughter) and give him a lot of attention. That really takes the attention away from Nico. He really attacked and he delivered for us. What a time to play that kind of game," said Ateneo coach Norman Black. Kiefer Ravena showed FEU why he is this year's Rookie of the Year when he tallied 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, including a nifty pass from the top of the key that threaded FEU traffic to a waiting Slaughter beneath the basket. Slaughter aroused the predominantly blue-clad crowd again in the fourth quarter with a dunk via an alley-oop pass from bleach-blonde guard Kirk Long. The Tamaraws, who won three straight games including two against favored Adamson in the Final Four stage, got easy baskets mainly from Terrence Romeo in the first half when they dictated the tempo. Romero scored 10 of his 23 points in the first 20 minutes of the contest. He hit eight points in the first period to push FEU to a 19-14 lead. FEU even led by 10 at one point midway in the second period with RR Garcia converting a tough shot for a 28-18 spread. Ateneo coach Norman Black, however, made some adjustments that led to a mini run to tie the score at 33-all at halftime. "We just tried to make a few adjustments mainly because they did a good job with their pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop offense. At least in the second half, we defended their pick-and-pop better and our bigs did a very good job against them," said Black. The Blue Eagles ran away with the contest in the fourth period highlighted by Slaughter's two dunks. Point guard Emman Monfort, the smallest player on the court, hit a rainbow three. FEU never got the chance to challenge Ateneo’s onslaught. "It wasn't a blowout game. It was a pretty close game especially in the first half. I think for most of the first half, we were losing. It’s just that our pick and rolls began to click in the second half and we started knocking down shots. And we just defended," Black said. — JVP/HS, GMA News