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Round 5: Ateneo vs. La Salle in the UAAP Finals

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA, Philippines – The so-called &quot;dream match-up&quot; between the De La Salle University and the Ateneo de Manila University in the UAAP Season 79 Finals marks only the fifth time in the history of the league that the two arch-rivals have contested the crown.</p><p>The Green Archers drew first blood in the best-of-three series on Saturday, relying on a clutch performance from Jeron Teng for a 67-65 victory that brought them one game closer to a ninth UAAP championship.</p><ul class="op-related-articles" title="Read">	<li><strong>READ: </strong> <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2016/12/03/dlsu-exacts-revenge-ateneo-closes-ninth-title-18806">DLSU exacts revenge on Ateneo, closes in on ninth championship</a></li></ul><p>Yet if past history is any indication, the Blue Eagles are not about to make Game 2 any easier for the Green Archers.</p><div><strong>Season 51</strong></div><p>The bitter rivals first faced off in the Finals of Season 51, with Ateneo holding a twice-to-beat edge over La Salle after finishing as the top seed at the end of the elimination round.</p><p>The Blue Eagles registered a come-from-behind win, clawing their way back from an early 10-point deficit to secure a 76-70 win – and make a successful defense of their UAAP championship.</p><p>The match was held in front of an &quot;overflow crowd&quot; of 15,000 at the Rizal Coliseum, according to an article by Manny Angeles of the <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UZkVAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=jgsEAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=5425%2C1613695">Manila Standard</a>, with Ateneo riding the heroics of Joseph Canlas and Daniel Francisco for the win.</p><p>&quot;Let&#x27;s give it to the boys. They played their hearts out,&quot; then Ateneo coach Fritz Gaston was quoted as saying at the time. &quot;I&#x27;m proud of my boys. I can&#x27;t ask for more. It was just a matter of motivating them, making them feel hungry for another title, and that was it.&quot;</p><p>Season 64</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gBJQZrSL8qM" width="600"></iframe></figure><p>It took 13 years before La Salle got a chance to get back at Ateneo in the Finals. In the league&#x27;s 2001 season, a tremendous La Salle squad anchored by RenRen Ritualo and running the famed system of Franz Pumaren soared to their fourth straight men&#x27;s basketball title at the expense of the Blue Eagles.</p><p>Ateneo, bannered by Enrico Villanueva and Rich Alvarez, dragged the powerhouse La Salle team into a do-or-die game and seemed on the verge of pulling off an upset as they led by double-digits.</p><p>The Green Archers, however, would not be denied, as Ritualo sparked their comeback en route to a 93-88 win in Game 3.</p><div><strong>Season 65</strong></div><p>Ateneo got its revenge the very next season. The Blue Eagles denied La Salle a sweep of the elimination round, went through the wringer against University of the East in the Final 4, then stunned La Salle in Game 1 of the best-of-three Finals behind Larry Fonacier&#x27;s defensive game on Mac Cardona.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X86maNawvZo" width="600"></iframe></figure><p>La Salle forced a do-or-die, thanks to Mike Cortez, but the Blue Eagles saw several heroes step up in Game 3 to win their first title in 14 seasons. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iYCiYBOmWyQ" width="600"></iframe></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yHo7nGSq39M" width="600"></iframe></figure><p>LA Tenorio was a crucial part of that championship team, and his three-point bombs in Game 3 helped the Blue Eagles take a lead that La Salle would not be able to overhaul.</p><p>&quot;The thing about that team is, &#x27;yung team namin, medyo may tao na din talaga,&quot; Tenorio told ABS-CBN News, referring to stars like Fonacier, Enrico Villanueva, and Wesley Gonzalez. &quot;Pero malakas din talaga ang La Salle at that time.&quot;</p><p>The Blue Eagles denied the Green Archers a fifth consecutive crown with their triumph in 2002.</p><div><strong>Season 71</strong></div><p>Six years later, the arch-rivals met again, and much like in 2002, the Green Archers were trying to defend their championship while the Blue Eagles were out to unseat them.</p><p>A powerhouse Ateneo team roared to the Final Four with a 13-1 record, and routed University of the East in the Final Four to advance to the Finals. Meanwhile, La Salle had to battle Far Eastern University twice – first in a playoff for the second seed, then in the actual Final 4 game – before advancing to defend their title.</p><p>The Blue Eagles, behind the MVP performance of Rabehl Al-Hussaini, the solid play of Chris Tiu, and the defensive prowess of Nonoy Baclao, swept the Green Archers in two games to win what would be the first of five consecutive championships.</p><p>Game 1 was highlighted by Baclao&#x27;s tremendous seven-block performance, including a massive rejection of Rico Maierhofer in the final minute.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/75fmmK4Wek0" width="600"></iframe></figure><p>Game 2, however, was controversial: Maierhofer was ejected in the second half after allegedly flashing a dirty finger, and JV Casio fouled out of the game with still over three minutes to go, leaving La Salle without their leaders.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4mVk4xv8Aco" width="600"></iframe></figure><div><strong>Season 79</strong></div><p>After eight years, the rivalry is back on the biggest stage of them all, and La Salle is just one win away from nailing their ninth title. New heroes have stepped up for both squads, with players like Teng, Ben Mbala, and Kib Montalbo joining Ritualo, Cardona, and Don Allado in La Salle lore. </p><p>Meanwhile, young guns Thirdy Ravena, twins Mike and Matt Nieto, and burly center Isaac Go are also looking to carve their own place in Ateneo history.</p><p>Game 2 of the Finals is on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum, where the past three Ateneo-La Salle championship series had been decided.</p><p>(For more sports coverage, visit the <strong><a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a></strong>)</p>

<p>The so-called "dream match-up" between the De La Salle University and the Ateneo de Manila University in the UAAP Season 79 Finals marks only the fifth time in the history of the league that the two arch-rivals have contested the crown.</p>

The so-called "dream match-up" between the De La Salle University and the Ateneo de Manila University in the UAAP Season 79 Finals marks only the fifth time in the history of the league that the two arch-rivals have contested the crown.