UAAP: Salva shines to give Ateneo game one of the Finals

(Updated 9:00pm)  The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles and the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers are proving to be a match made in hoops heaven. The top two teams of Season 75 thrilled a 20-thousand strong crowd, with UST seemingly on its way to an upset before defending four-peat champion Ateneo clawed back in the second half. But the spotlight shined brightest on Ateneo forward Nico Salva, who outdid his Finals MVP ways of last season, scoring a career-high 30 points to lift Ateneo to an 83-78 UAAP Finals game one victory over UST, Saturday at the SM MOA Arena.   “In the second half, we decided to bring the ball inside. We had some very good match-ups. It worked to our favor to work in the post," said Ateneo head coach Norman Black, who improved his UAAP record in the first game of Finals series to 6-0. If Ateneo wins the next game in the two out of three Finals format, Black will end his Ateneo coaching stint with his fifth straight title. He will be coaching in the PBA next year.   The Blue Eagles went on a 17-0 blitzkrieg at the start of the third quarter that demolished a six-point lead that UST had toiled to build in the first half, emerging with the lead after the third quarter.   But it was Salva who kept them in the game early, and also fueled their big run, as the graduating forward scored 15 points in each half, all while abusing the defense of his counterpart Aljon Mariano.     “I just want to win so I gave it my all," said Salva, who is in his last year as a collegiate player.   The last time a player scored 30 or more points in the Finals was in 2008, when Rabeh Al-Hussaini dominated with 31 against the De La Salle Green Archers. “Hindi ko tatanggalin sa bata yun, ang ganda talaga ng laro niya”, said UST head coach Pido Jarencio of Salva.   UST chased the fourth quarter lead late in the fourth, as Jeric Teng made two consecutive triples to whittle down their deficit down to three points, 81-78. On the subsequent play, Kiefer Ravena drove to the right elbow and hit an off-balance jumper to up the lead, 83-78. With eight seconds to go, UST zoomed down the court, with Jeric Teng even getting an attempt off that seemingly earned him a foul. When none was called, an already irate Jarencio got even angrier.   “Inakyat ko nga yung mga referees eh. Porket ba UST lang kami ganun yung mga calls? Baka magka-People Power tayo dito niyan eh”, said Coach Jarencio. “Let the players decide the game, not the officials.”   Down 38-31 coming out of the intermission, the Katipunan-based squad got baskets from Salva, Juami  Tiongson and Ryan Buenafe to draw even with UST, two minutes gone by. The Eagles then kept pouring it on, making it 48-38 with 3:52 left in the period, with the Tigers still failing to get going. By the time UST finally scored, on a Kevin Ferrer drive, there were just 3:37 left to play and a more physical Ateneo team had found their groove, muscling into the paint for easy makes. Come the fourth quarter, Mariano scored nine of an 13-2 run. His step-back jumper drew them within a point, 63-62, and then Karim Abdul turned the tables completely with a score on the break, putting UST up 64-63, 6:57 left. In response, Ateneo went on an 8-2 run, as the Tigers split twice at the foul line. UST then got within a point again after two charities by Ferrer, and Jeric Teng score off a Blue Eagles turnover, 71-70, 3:49 left. It was then that another Finals MVP took over, Season 73 awardee Ryan Buenafe. The forward drove down the lane and drew a goaltend from Abdul. Then on the next trip down, Buenafe scored on a triple and successfully drew a foul, converting the free throw in the process, to make it 77-70, three minutes and change left. A Mariano and-one play, though he would miss on the free throw, broke UST's minute-long scoring drought, but with time winding down, it was Juami Tiongson who would create more separation, as the point guard scored off consecutive drives. It would be 81-72, 1:09 left, before Teng would nail two charities, and then Ravena putting the game away   UST led for most of the first quarter, holding small margins that Ateneo would eventually water down to nil or a solitary point. The Blue Eagles cashed in on their fast break points while UST utilized their myriad of scorers in their starting five to even the scores. Although Salva and Slaughter, two of Ateneo’s big three, scored for Ateneo, Ravena tallied none, guarded by the taller Ferrer.   Nico Salva was the Blue Eagles’ main man in the first, scoring 11 points, mostly on drives. He and Ryan Buenafe abused Aljon Mariano’s defense, but the latter clawed back, scoring four straight points late in the first quarter, adding to Jeric Teng’s lay-up to give UST a six-point edge after ten minutes, 24-18.   Reserve big man Justin Chua inserted three quick points for Ateneo in the second quarter, but the unheralded Kim Lo made back-to-back scores to give the Tigers an eight-point advantage. After baskets by Salva and Tiongson inched Ateneo closer, 25-31, the Tigers dropped five unanswered, to notch their first double-digit lead, 36-25. Ravena took that time to make his presence felt, nailing two charities for his first points of the game. A Salva drive made it a seven-point game, before Teng and Tonino Gonzaga exchanged shots to arrive at the halftime score. Ateneo dug themselves a deep hole after the first half, turning the ball over 10 times and with Ravena held to just two points, but their championship experience buoyed their confidence, as they took over the latter part of the game.   The Blue Eagles heavily out-rebounded the Growling Tigers, winning with a 45-35 tally. ADMU also converted 10 second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds and racked up 15 assists, compared to UST’s 12.   Salva topped the scoring charts with 30 points, followed by Ravena with 13, Tiongson with 12, and Buenafe with 10. The older Teng brother notched 25 points in a losing cause, followed by Mariano with 22 and Ferrer with 13. A noticeable non-factor was Clark Bautista, who finished 0-of-5 from long range.   Ateneo also took the first game in the storied 2006 championship match-up, a series which UST won after winning the next two games. However, the Eagles' head coach was quick to dismiss comparisons, saying, "2006 was a long time ago. Let’s focus on today.”   UST forward Melo Afuang missed the game due to dengue and was doubtful for the rest of the series. Game 2 will be on Thursday at the Smart-Araneta Colisuem. - RAF/AMD/HS, GMA News The scores: ADMU – Salva 30, Ravena 13, Tiongson 12, Buenafe 10, Chua 9, Slaughter 5, Gonzaga 2, Elorde 2, Sumalinog 0, Golla 0   UST – Teng 25, Mariano 22, Ferrer 13, Abdul 9, Fortuna 4, Lo 3, Pe 2, Bautista 0 Quarter scoring: 18-24, 31-38, 61-51, 83-78