Behind the great heroics of one fine rookie and a fearless veteran, FEU brought down La Salle yesterday, 73-71, to clinch the 68th UAAP crown at the Araneta Coliseum.
Jonas Villanueva, the rookie, delivered the biggest plays in the dying minutes while Mark Isip, the veteran, provided the go-ahead basket in the final 33 seconds.
The FEU crowd, which filled one half of the Big Dome, exploded in joy after La Salle’s Joseph Yeo fumbled in his last possession and Jun Cabatu missed at the buzzer.
A wild, deafening celebration followed shortly after with FEU players embracing each other, shouting, jumping up and down on the court, drowned by their emotions.
Bert Flores, barely in his first year as FEU coach, joined them seconds later and was given the traditional victory ride. He kept punching the air, pointing to the FEU crowd.
Arwind Santos, the MVP for the second straight year, was crying in the middle of it all. It was his last game in the UAAP as he is bound to join the pro league next year.
"Nagbunga ang hindi ko pagsali sa PBA draft this year. Nakaganti din kami sa La Salle," said Santos in burying the painful memories of the FEU loss to La Salle in last year’s finals.
The agony of defeat was written on the faces of the Green Archers after the buzzer, from coach Franz Pumaren to the players and their loyal fans.
But they were all gracious in defeat.
Things looked headed toward a deciding Game 3 when La Salle took a 69-63 lead with 4:30 remaining. But they suddenly turned cold, being held to just two points the rest of the way.
Ryan Arana, who hit three triples in La Salle’s third-quarter onslaught, picked up his fifth foul with two minutes left and La Salle still up, 69-66.
"Ito na ang chance natin. Ito na ang last game. Wala nang bukas," said Flores, when asked what he told his players during their last timeout with 44 ticks left. True enough, his players delivered.
It was FEU’s second title in four years, and, according to league records, its 18th in UAAP history. FEU is now tied with Santo Tomas and UE with the most number of crowns.
The crowd was evenly divided, those in FEU yellow and those in La Salle green.
Santos got their side going before the game started when he received his second straight MVP crown. He faced a pack of photographers and a horde of FEU fans while hoisting the trophy.
"Salamat sa inyong lahat. Salamat sa inyo," he shouted over the microphone as he stood in front of fellow mythical team members Mark Isip, LA Tenorio, Edwin Asoro and Yeo.
The game started at 5 p.m. or one-and-a-half hours behind schedule. Players from both teams were called to centercourt and were asked to shake hands in the spirit of sportsmanship.
La Salle won the opening tip and broke the ice with a charity by Jun Cabatu. But it was FEU, which controlled the opening period where it raced to a 21-12 lead.
Refusing to fold up early, the Green Archers worked harder in the second quarter and forced the Tamaraws to eight turnovers, including five in the first three minutes.
La Salle inched closer on FEU and had several chances to regain the upperhand only to bungle each one of them. The Green Archers trooped to the showers trailing by just two, 38-40.
Santos had 10 points and nine rebounds in the first half alone. Teammate RJ Rizada also had 10 points while no player scored in double digits for La Salle. FEU had more rebounds, 27-17, in the first 20 minutes of play. The Tamaraws, however, committed 17 turnovers against La Salle’s 10.