[shadow=red,left]San Sebastian tears up Ateneo’s win run
by inboundpass
CALVIN Abueva hit two big free throws with 9.8 seconds left to give his Stags the lead, and Kiefer Ravena missed a potential game-winning fadeaway for Ateneo de Manila University, allowing San Sebastian College-Recoletos to wipe away the “undefeated” tag from their opponent, 73-72 in the 2011 FilOil Flying V Pre-Season Premier Cup last May 11 at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
The upset-minded Stags scored eight straight points in the last minute and thirty seconds, overcoming a lead that once stood as high as nine points.
Despite not being fielded in the entire first quarter, “The Beast” Abueva, was his usual monstrous self on both ends of the court, leading all scorers with 22 points while hauling down nine rebounds and blocking two shots. Ian Sangalang and Ronald Pascual combined for 22 points and 23 rebounds, with Sangalang swatting away three attempts.
Early shooting woes for the Eagles put them in a 21-11 hole after the game’s first minutes, but Ateneo’s second unit once again worked to turn the tables on their opponents. The reserves were led by Ravena, who accounted for nine markers in a 13-3 run at the start of the second period, including five points after an unsportsmanlike foul from Stags captain Anthony del Rio to knot the count at 24.
After a jumper by Greg Slaughter put the defending UAAP champions up by three, 33-30, the Stags responded with seven straight, 37-33. And it took a triple by Bacon Austria and two charities with 0.9 seconds remaining from Ravena to ensure the Eagles went into halftime on top, 38-37.
In the fourth quarter, Abueva scored on three straight field goals to put the Stags up, 61-58, but Ateneo responded with a 14-4 run, capped off with back-to-back triples by Oping Sumalinog and Emman Monfort, to build a 72-65 cushion. The Eagles though, missed their next five shots, allowing San Sebastian to come from behind and seize the win.
Despite a poor shooting performance that saw him go 4-of-15 from the field, Ravena led all Ateneo scorers with 15 points. He also finished with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kirk Long added 10 points and five dimes, while Nico Salva missed a double-double by a point, finishing with nine and 10 boards.
“Mahirap kalabanin ang isang team na well-organized,” said Stags coach Turo Valenzona after the game.
Through a quirk of the schedule, San Sebastian has played all the UAAP teams in Group A, emerging with a 3-1 record. Its sole loss came in double-overtime to the UST Growling Tigers last April 16, 104-102.
Despite the three-game win streak, Valenzona was still not happy, commenting, “Hindi pa kami team, bara-bara lang. Kanya-kanya lang…There’s still room for improvement. Pagkatapos ng [PBA] D-League, makakapractice kami na kumpleto,” referring to some of his players like Abueva, Pascual and Sangalang.
The defeat put Ateneo at 5-1 with one game to play in the elimination round. Despite the loss, the Blue Eagles are in a prime position to advance to the knockout quarterfinal round.
Reserve Ateneo center JP Erram was in civilian clothes and sat on the sideline due to a sprained ankle suffered in practice the previous day. Rookie Stag and former Staglet Gino Jumao-as missed his second straight game due to illness.
San Sebastian drew thrice as many trips to the foul line, 24-8, and held the Eagles to just 34 percent shooting.
The Stags went to a 2-3 zone in the latter part of the game. And though the Eagles made triples, finishing 9-of-24 from beyond the arc, San Sebastian stuck with it. The result was, despite Ateneo’s ball movement, a 19-of-59 performance by the blue shirts from inside the three-point line. W5
The scores:
San Sebastian 73 – Abueva 22, Sangalang 17, Pascual 15, Semira 8, Balucanag 8, Antipuesto 2, del Rio 1, J. dela Cruz 0, Ferrer 0, Miranda 0, Vitug 0, Maiquez 0
Ateneo 72 – Ravena 15, Long 10, Salva 9, Monfort 9, Austria 8, Sumalinog 8, Slaughter 6, Tiongson 5, Gonzaga 2, Chua 0, Golla 0
Quarter scoring: 21-11, 37-38, 55-57, 73-72