Ateneo-UST Finals starts

Game today:

MoA Arena

3 p.m. – Ateneo vs. UST

AFTER SIX long years, the four-time defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles and the University of Sto. Tomas Growling Tigers clash once again for all the marbles starting with Game One of the best-of-three Finals series in the 75th UAAP men’s basketball tournament today at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Blue Eagles will be angling for revenge against UST, which beat them way back in season 69, a title win that gave head coach Pido Jarencio his first crown in the UAAP.

The series is expected to be a rough-and-tumble one for the defending champions, especially after the two teams split their games in the elimination round.

The Tigers beat Ateneo, 71-70, in the first round, wherein they came all the way back from a 19-point first half deficit.

Forward Aljon Mariano exploded for 21 points in that game including 12 in the third canto that served as the sparkplug for the comeback.

Ateneo paid their rivals back in their second meeting of the season, 68-66, in a game marred by controversy.

UST led 66-65 in the waning seconds when center Karim Abdul was called for a goaltending violation on a shot by Ateneo’s Ryan Buenafe, who was also fouled in the process. That allowed Ateneo to come away with a 68-66 win, a victory that UST protested but was eventually turned down by the UAAP Board.

The highlight matchup of this series will be between Mythical Five players Greg Slaughter of Ateneo and UST’s Abdul.

Abdul is having a breakout season averaging 17 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks while Slaughter, the former University of the Visayas star, is churning out his usual numbers of 14 points, 10 boards and three blocks. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio