MANILA, Philippines — Minutes after Adamson beat La Salle on Thursday to gain the No. 3 spot, Austin Manyara, the Kenyan-born center, was praying that Far Eastern University beat Ateneo in the final game of the eliminations.
He has two reasons: One, to get even for the two losses Ateneo inflicted on Adamson in the qualification series; and two, end more than a decade of frustration against the Blue Eagles.
It also helps that if his team beats Ateneo, they advance to the finals.
Two days later, Manyara got his wish after Far Eastern University rallied in the last three minutes to beat Ateneo, 74-72.
The Eagles’ defeat set them up against the Falcons in the Final Four that has been dubbed the “Battle of the Birds.”
The series will mean a lot for the Falcons. They haven't beaten the three-peat seeking Eagles in 27 consecutive games. Their last win came on September 18, 1997, 54-52, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Besides having to settle old scores with Ateneo, the Falcons perhaps also believe that against the Eagles, their chances of winning are much better than if they had to face the FEU Tamaraws.
The Falcons narrowly lost their last two games against the Eagles, both by three points – 66-63 in the first round and 55-52 in the second round.
The 6-foot-5 Manyara hopes that they could make the proper end game situations not only to end the streak but also pull off an upset win over the favored Ateneo cagers.
"Well, personally I feel that if we had played better in the last two games, maybe we had beaten them," said Manyara. "But regardless of our mistakes, we lost both games in the last quarter so if we can minimize our mistakes, then maybe we could overcome Ateneo."
The Falcons will enter the Final Four only for the second time since the current format was instituted in 1994. Their first trip came in 2006 when they lost to Ateneo despite the efforts of eventual Most Valuable Player Ken Bono and Patrick Cabahug.
Coach Leo Austria, who coached that team, hopes that their win over La Salle, a 66-61 victory, would translate into good results against Ateneo.
"Our win against La Salle is a morale-booster entering the Final Four and since Ateneo makakalaban namin, this is another opportunity for us to end that long losing streak," said Austria, who will also face his son Bacon Austria in their semis duel.
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