Behind the heroics of Matt Nieto and Isaac Go, the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles rallied back late to force overtime before outlasting the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 88-84, to return to the UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals, Wednesday evening.
The win sets up Ateneo’s rematch with the De La Salle University Green Archers. La Salle won the series last year in just two games.
“Well, before the start of the game, we knew that we were up against a strong team. Credit to FEU, they played really well, their coaching staff had a great game plan and their players really stepped up,” said an exhausted Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga. “We weren’t thinking that this was a 7-7 team. We were ready to play a close game, and that’s what happened.”
And with the game reaching extra time, it was Ateneo’s big time players who stepped up when needed.
With the game knotted at 80-all in overtime, Matt Nieto mustered all his courage, knocking down the go-ahead floater with 1:31 remaining. On the other end, Gian Mamuyac made a huge stop, swatting away Hubert Cani’s three-point attempt that led to a Matt Nieto triple that gave Ateneo a five-point edge.
“If you look at the game, Jasper Parker drove in the lane, and it’s my fault, so sinasabi ko lang sa sarili ko, hindi ito mangyayari, hindi ako papayag na ito mangyari sa season,” recalled the third-year guard, who finished the game with 16 points, spiked by three triples. “We’ve been through so much, we worked really hard, hindi ako papayag na ito mangyari sa season.”
Richard Escoto was able to answer back with a quick basket with 44.6 ticks left to turn the game into a single-possession contest. Needing a stop, the Tamaraws were able to force Nieto to a miss. But waiting in the wings was Isaac Go, who cleaned up the miss with a one-handed putback that sealed the win.
“The last shot, when I got the ball, I just put it up because it might get loose, what’s the worst that can happen?” quipped the six-foot-eight big man.
Go, who had 13 points and nine rebounds in the game, was the student-athlete that gave Ateneo a new lease on life.
Ateneo was down by as much as eight points, 59-67, with 6:20 left. But products of the Blue Eaglets basketball program — Gian Mamuyac, Mike and Matt Nieto, and Thirdy Ravena — were able to storm right back to gain a 72-71 lead with 34.6 seconds remaining.
JBut asper Parker was able to gain the lead right back and was able to follow it up with two free throws to give FEU a 75-72 edge with 14.5 seconds left.
“Well coach Tab [Baldwin] made a great play, and you know, we needed a three-point shot, or a quick basket, one of the options of that play was for Isaac to shoot that three, and actually before the start of the huddle, we already told Isaac, you’re gonna make this three,” shared Arespacochaga.
Off a timeout, Matt Nieto was able to find Go, who faked out Ron Dennison before throwing up the game-tying triple. Arvin Tolentino could not even attempt a shot to send the game into extra time.
Thirdy Ravena led Ateneo with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. Chibueze Ikeh added 16 points and 11 rebounds despite missing seven free throws.
Ron Dennison and Jojo Trinidad played their final game for FEU. Dennison, who played five years for the Tamaraws, only had four points in the contest.
Parker led FEU with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
The Blue Eagles will take on heated rivals De La Salle University Green Archers in the Finals, that is set to begin on Saturday, November 25.
The Scores:
ADMU 88 – Ravena 17, Nieto Ma 16, Ikeh 16, Go 13, Mendoza 5, Tio 5, Nieto Mi 4, Tolentino 3, Black 3, Mamuyac 2, Verano 2, Porter 2, Asistio 0
FEU 84 – Parker 19, Tolentino 13, Comboy 11, Orizu 10, Escoto 6, Inigo 6, Trinidad 6, Cani 5, Dennison 4, Ebona 2, Tuffin 2, Bayquin 0
Quarterscores: 21-15, 40-33, 57-53, 75-75, 88-84.
