The Ateneo Blue Eagles advanced to the finals of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League for the fifth straight time as they defeated the San Beda Red Lions, 76-63, in a battle of the champions of the UAAP and NCAA respectively, during the final day of the semifinal round yesterday at the Arena in San Juan City.
The Blue Eagles, who are looking for a third straight crown in this tournament, leaned on the strength of Cebuano center Greg Slaughter and Kiefer Ravena down the stretch to stave off the comebacks of the undermanned Red Lions.
Slaughter, a former stalwart of the University of the Visayas, had 20 points and eight rebounds while Ravena, the reigning UAAP Rookie of the Year, had 18 points, including eight in the final period that saw him convert on an incredible reverse putback with 2:11 left that sealed the deal for the Blue Eagles.
Awaiting them in the finals are the San Sebastian Stags, the very same team that beat them earlier in the week, 69-70. No NCAA team has won the PCCL crown but the Stags’ chances are as bright as ever as they are armed with a twice-to-beat advantage by virtue of their best record in the semifinals.
The finals start on Monday. Also on that day, the University of Cebu Webmasters will try to take home third place honors when they face-off against San Beda. The Red Lions beat the Cesafi champions, 83-77, in their lone semifinal encounter.
The game was tight after the first period as Ateneo led, 23-19. The Blue Eagles started the second with six unanswered points that eventually set the tone for the rest of the game. The Red Lions came as close as seven, 44-51, in the third period behind the efforts of Mar Villahermosa.