Post-game interview: Ateneo Coach Norman Black and the Blue Eagles

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MANILA, Philippines -- The Ateneo Blue Eagles' four-peat drive is alive as the defending champions survived an avalanche of three-pointers from the hard-fighting UST Growling Tigers to hack out a close 69-66 Final Four win.

Before a large Thursday crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the Eagles marched to their fourth straight Finals as they made their free throws when it mattered most.

Missing 12 all throughout the game, the Eagles went three-of-four in the final 13.4 seconds of the game for the cushion.

The Tigers came roaring back in the payoff period after getting buried from a 15-point hole, 33-48, in the third quarter to come within three, 63-66, on Jeric Fortuna and Chris Camus' back-to-back triples in the final 1:26.

But two errant long passes by Fortuna did UST in -- the last in the final 32 seconds on a streaking Jeric Teng that could have cut the lead to just one.

Ateneo's back-up center Justin Chua made a split to push Ateneo's lead to four, 67-63, before a Teng three-pointer cut it down to one in the final 5.5 seconds. Veteran forward Nico Salva pushed Ateneo's lead back to three with two free throws in the last 2.7 seconds.

UST had a chance to send the game into overtime but Fortuna's long three-pointer from the top of the key was too strong sending the blue gallery into frenzy.

"It's difficult to get your confidence back anytime you lose a game but our defense held up especially our transition [defense]," said Ateneo coach Norman Black, whose wards came off a 16-point trashing from the Adamson Falcons that denied them a sweep of the eliminations.

Slaughter, who sat out the final 1:12 of the game with cramps, led the Eagles with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Kiefer Ravena added 13, five in the fourth period that kept the Eagles afloat at the height of UST's rally, while Salva chipped in 12 points for the Eagles.

The Eagles now await the winner of the Adamson-FEU Final Four match where the Falcons enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage.




The Tigers, who drew a 16-point, 16-rebound and two-block effort from Cameroonian center Karim Abdul, got nothing to be ashamed of as they have overachieved this season, improving on their 4-10 card that was only good for seventh place last year.

The Scores:

ADMU 69 -- Slaughter 17, Ravena 13, Salva 12, Chua 9, Tiongson 5, Gonzaga 5, Monfort 4, Long 4, Golla 0, Austria 0.

UST 66 -- Abdul 16, Camus 13, Teng 11, Ferrer 10, Fortuna 8, Afuang 5, Tan 3, Sheriff 0, Pe 0, Lo 0, Ungria 0.

Quarters: 18-18, 38-30, 52-40, 69-66.

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