source: gmanews.tv
Ateneo coach Norman Black brought his
Grand Slam touch to the UAAP men's
basketball tournament as he led the Blue
Eagles to a third consecutive crown in
Season 73.
Black, who steered the San Miguel
Beermen to a three-peat in the PBA in
1989, accomplished his second Triple
Crown after the Blue Eagles upset the
top-ranked Far Eastern University (FEU)
Tamaraws, 65-62.
FEU had beaten Ateneo twice in the
regular season, only to fall twice to
the Blue Eagles in the championship
round.
" This is the most difficult
championship that we've won. It's a
total team effort. Thank you to the
Ateneo community for sticking with us ,"
said Black, who now joins the ranks of
former collegiate coaches Franz Pumaren
of La Salle, Aric Del Rosario of UST and
the legendary Baby Dalupan of UE in
winning three consecutive UAAP crowns.
While Black mapped out Ateneo's plays in
the huddle, it was Ryan Buenafe who did
most of the damage on the court.
Buenafe, who struggled offensively this
season, delivered the knockout punches
in the payoff period as he helped the
Katipunan-based squad complete a
two-game sweep of their best-of-three
Finals showdown against the Tamaraws.
The 6-foot-2 shooting forward hit a fade
away jumper and knocked in a
cold-blooded three-pointer in the
crucial stages of the match that gave
Ateneo a 64-59 cushion.
After FEU's Paul Sanga made only one of
three free throws, the Blue Eagles were
holding on to a slim 61-59 lead when
Buenafe drained a backbreaking triple
against the defense of FEU’s Bryan
Cruz with 22 seconds left.
Buenafe registered 23 points, six
rebounds and one assist as his game-long
brilliance earned him the Finals Most
Valuable Player honors. –
JVP/RCJ/HS, GMANews.TV
UPDATE: FEU coach rushed to hospital
due to high blood pressure (click here)
Ateneo 65 - Buenafe 23, Monfort 10,
Salva 9, Long 7, Chua 7, Salamat 3,
Golla 3, Escueta 2, Austria 1, Erram 0,
Gonzaga 0, de Chavez 0.
FEU 62 - Cervantes 15, Sanga 13, Ramos
9, Cawaling 8, Noundou 6, Garcia 6,
Romeo 2, Exciminiano 2, Bringas 1, Cruz
0, Guerrero 0.
Quarter scores: 13-22, 30-31, 52-50,
65-62.
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