TEAMS have toiled long and hard the past four years to beat reigning three-time champion Ateneo, only to falter against the fancied and disciplined Blue Eagles.
But University of the Philippines, propped up by a slew of prized new additions and a decorated former high school coach in Goldwin Monteverde, finally found an answer to Ateneo’s bubble of invincibility last Sunday.
“Winning against Ateneo is a big achievement for us, knowing iyong Ateneo ay 13-0 and ang haba ng (winning) streak nila. One thing good for me is iyong team namin stayed as a team no matter how close the game was,” Monteverde said.
“May mga ups and downs along the way and whatever we talked about being a team even in times of struggle ay nakita natin. Sa akin siguro I’m happy for the win,” he added.
The Fighting Maroons stunned the Eagles, hacking out an 84-83 escape in the 84th UAAP basketball tournament before a wild and roaring crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
In front of 10,512 fans, UP’s nail-biting triumph cut short Ateneo’s 13-game win run this season and ended the Eagles’ perfect 39-0 record in the league since 2018.
More importantly, a traditional Final Four will be played instead of a stepladder semifinals.
The Eagles, who still finished the eliminations as No. 1 with a 13-1 card armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, will tangle with fourth-ranked Far Eastern University in the Final Four kicking off tomorrow at the same venue.
The No. 2 Maroons, also rewarded with a win-once incentive, wound up with a 12-2 record and will take on third seed La Salle.
In a game of spurts, Monteverde pointed to his charges’ resolve that spelled the big difference.
“Actually, iyong start namin was really good and stronger knowing that Ateneo team is kumabaga alam naman natin na along the way they’ll have their run also,” Monteverde said.
“Ang maganda sa larong ito whatever iyong run na nangyari, may time din na lumamang sila sa amin, hindi kami sumuko as a team. Marami kaming game na parang ganito na close game and iyong trust nila with each other ay hindi naman nawala.”
Foremost among those who stepped up for UP is 6-foot-10 Senegalese import Malick Diouf, who notched a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds, counting a board off his missed free throw in the last 1.5 ticks that sealed the victory for the Maroons.
Carl Tamayo chipped in 16 markers and four boards, while Fil-Australian James Spencer added 12 and six, including a clutch three-pointer down the stretch.
CJ Cansino also had 11 points as UP atoned for its 81-90 loss to Ateneo in their first-round duel last March 26.
The Maroons zoomed to a fast start where they led 27-13 early on and 50-44 at the half.
Naturalized Filipino center Ange Kouame paced the Eagles with a game-high 21 points and 17 rebounds, while Dave Ildefonso added 18 markers. SJ Belangel and BJ Andrade also had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Ateneo.
