Buenafe tows Ateneo to Grand Slam

MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Eagles leaned on the fourth quarter heroics of Ryan Buenafe and successfully held back a dangerous early-game blitz by FEU to beat the season favorites, 65-62, and clinch their third-straight UAAP championship at a packed Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Buenafe exploded for a season-high 23 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter to lead the Blue Eagles. The 2008 Rookie of the Year capped his performance with six rebounds to bag the finals MVP trophy.

Buenafe nailed a triple with less than 30 seconds in the game to seal the win for the Eagles and coach Norman Black, who joins former UST tactician Aric del Rosario, former FEU coach Koy Banal, and former La Salle coach Franz Pumaren as UAAP coaches who have won three straight crowns.

“I just told them to go out and try to nail every basket,” Black said in a post-game interview.

Ateneo trailed by as much as nine points in the first half on the hot shooting of FEU swingman Paul Sanga and banger Reil Cervantes. But the Blue Eagles recouped in the second half and managed to fend off the Tamaraws' efforts to regain the lead.

The league earlier feted the season's best performers, with FEU sweeping the major individual awards. RR Garcia was named season MVP, while his teammates Aldrech Ramos and Terence Romeo received the Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year awards, respectively.

This marks the second time Ramos was named the year's best defender.

Garcia and Ramos, NU's Emmanuel Mbe, and Ken Acibar and Paul Lee UE completed the Mythical Five.

The scores:

Ateneo 65 – Buenafe 23, Monfort 10, Salva 9, Long 7, Chua 7, Salamat 3, Golla 3, Escueta 2, Austria 1, Erram 0, Gonzaga 0, De Chavez 0

FEU 62 – Cervantes 15, Sanga 13, Ramos 9, Cawaling 8, Noundou 6, Garcia 6, Romeo 2, Exciminiano 2, Bringas 1, Cruz 0, Guerrero 0