UAAP hoops: Eagles tame Tigers, claw Final Four berth

Ateneo’s top slotman Rabeh Al-Hussaini teamed up with American defensive specialist Kirk Long in stopping Santo Tomas, 80-70, and giving the Blue Eagles their ninth win and a Final Four berth in the 72nd UAAP men's basketball tournament on Sunday at the Big Dome.

"We're happy to be in the Final Four, but our goal is to finish in the top two spots," said Ateneo coach Norman Black after the match that saw Ateneo needing a big push down the stretch before taming the Growling Tigers. "We'll have to win more games to reach our goal," added Black, whose wards dealt the Growling Tigers their fifth defeat in 10 matches that sent the Espana-based squad to solo fourth spot. It was also Blue Eagles’ six consecutive win over the Tigers dating back to the 2007 season. Burdened by foul trouble early on, Al-Hussaini scored just four points in the first half but made up for that so-so performance by leading the Eagles’ attack in the final quarter where he scored 10 of Ateneo's 22 markers. After giving Ateneo a 63-62 lead with a jumper, Al-Hussaini scored his next eight points on the free throw line en route to a 71-66 cushion going into the last 1:32. Long, known more for his defense, then scored his fifth triple of the day in the next Ateneo possession to completely shut the door on the Growling Tigers. "I don't have to go for shots," said the 21-year-old Long, who’s been living in the country since 1991 with his missionary parents and attended Faith Academy before suiting up for Ateneo. "But when Rabeh was double-teamed, I have to do it," added Long who also plays for Ateneo's baseball team. Black said that he’s glad that Long (21 points) made up for Ateneo's dismal performance in the first three quarters, where the Growling Tigers, behind the inspired games of Dylan Ababou, Khasim Mirza and Allein Maliksi, kept the game close and even took the command. The three Santo Tomas players combined for UST's 48 markers and put the Growling Tigers in front, 60-58, going into the last canto. "Long's role in the team is to defend against the best scorer in our opponent's team. That is why we recruited him. He is our defender," Black said. And Black just could not hide his elation that Long delivered on the scoring end and together with Nico Salva and Jai Reyes, kept his team afloat during the first three periods. "My second team kept us in the game until Rabeh could come back in the game," said Black. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV