MANILA, Philippines – For the fourth and last time in the UAAP Season 79 men's basketball tournament, Far Eastern University (FEU) and Ateneo de Manila University face off – this time with a berth in the Finals at stake.
FEU kept its title defense alive last Saturday, beating Ateneo, 62-61, behind a superb performance from Raymar Jose and huge shots down the stretch from Monbert Arong.
It marked the first time all season that the Blue Eagles lost to the Tamaraws. Ateneo swept the defending champions in the elimination round, and earned the twice-to-beat bonus in the semifinals after finishing with a 10-4 win-loss record for second place.
Momentum is definitely on the side of the Tamaraws but FEU coach Nash Racela insists his team does not have an advantage.
"All we need was to force a last game," Racela said after Saturday's victory. "So I don't think there is an advantage there."
"But again, we'll do our part. We'll review again, review again, and make sure that the players are well-rested and locked in for the next game," he added.
FEU out-rebounded Ateneo, 50-40, last Saturday, and outscored them, 27-19, in the pivotal fourth quarter when they rallied from a 10-point deficit to steal the win. Jose, who finished with 23 rebounds, had 11 caroms in the final frame, while Ateneo as a team had only eight.
"What was critical ay hindi lumaki 'yung lamang ng Ateneo," said Racela, whose team fell behind by more than 20 points to the Blue Eagles in their blowout loss in the second round. "That's the story of the elimination round."
"For the past two games, sa second quarter lumaki ang lamang nila, and we had a hard time catching up with them. Today, nandoon lang, and everything was within reach," he explained. "Talagang kaya namin (habulin)."
Ateneo, for its part, needs to puncture the zone defense that FEU used to great effect in the first game. The Blue Eagles jacked up 36 three-pointers last Saturday, hitting only six of them.
"We didn't shoot the ball well, and every zone in the world is tough when you don't shoot the ball well," Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin said. "We ended up taking 36 threes in the game, and that's way too many."
"That's exactly what they wanted to force us to do," he added. "The number went in their favor tonight."
Baldwin vowed that adjustments will be made and the Blue Eagles will be more prepared for the defense that FEU will throw at them on Wednesday.
"We just didn't play with the sort of composure and experience that we think we have developed over the course of the season," he said. "It got away from us in the fourth quarter, and we paid the price."
"We have to make sure it won't happen again."
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