Eagles survive Falcons, 55-51

MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Eagles silenced the Adamson Falcons in the final seven minutes of play, escaping with a 55-51 victory to open their bid for a rare four-peat in the UAAP Season 74 before a big Sunday crowd at the Araneta Coliseum today.

The Eagles flaunted the defense that won them three straight championships heading into this season with a new weapon in their arsenal.

Celebrated rookie Greg Slaughter blocked a crucial Lester Alvarez drive that could have tied the game with under a minute left. Emman Monfort then sank two pressure-packed free throws with 16.3 seconds left to secure the victory for the Eagles.

For a while, the Falcons appeared headed to break a 28-game losing spell to the Eagles as they clawed their way back into the game after their opponents zoomed to an 8-2 start.

But in the end, the Falcons suffered their 29th-consecutive loss to Ateneo, their last win over the squad dating back to Sept. 18, 1997 – a 54-52 squeaker at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Lionel Manyara’s basket with 6:58 left in play gave the Falcons a seven-point spread, 51-44. But it was all downhill from there as the Eagles closed out the game with an 11-0 windup.

Kirk Long’s fast-break layup in the final 1:49 broke a 51-all standoff.

The 6-foot-11 Slaughter, a transferee from the University of Visayas, carried the Eagles with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go eight boards and two blocks.

Meanwhile, Ateneo’s other blue-chip recruit Kiefer Ravena went scoreless in 14 minutes.

Alex Nuyles led the Falcons with 11 points. Video by Cris Cayanan

Box Score:

ADMU 55 - Slaughter 23, Long 10, Salva 8, Monfort 6, Erram 3,Gonzaga 3, Austria 2, Ravena 0, Tiongson 0, Sumalinog 0, Golla 0, Chua 0

AdU 51 - Nuyles 11, Alvarez 8, Canada 6, Camson 6, Cabrera 6, Manyara 5, Lozada 3, Etrone 2, Brondial 2, Colina 2

Quarterscores: 16-12, 33-27 43-44, 55-51

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