September 15, 5:49 p.m. – 
DEFENDING champions Ateneo Blue Eagles cut short the Growling Tigers’ unexpected run in the Final Four with a hard-earned 69-66 victory in their semi-final game at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum this afternoon.
Losing only once in the elimination round and enjoying a twice-to-beat edge, the Blue Eagles booked the first slot in the UAAP Finals, where they would face the winner of the Adamson University-Far Eastern University semi-final duel. The FEU Tamaraws forced a winner-take-all with a 59-49 victory over the Falcons in the second game.
The Growling Tigers, hardly given a chance to advance in the Final Four during the pre-season, did not go down without a fight in what turned out to be their last game of the season.
Center Karim Abdul returned from a one-game suspension and unleashed a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Veteran bigman Chris Camus chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Unlike in their first two encounters where the Blue Eagles toyed with the Tigers, the semi-final game was not decided until the final seconds. Camus nailed a three-pointer, which cut Ateneo’s lead to three, 63-66, with 1:26 minutes left in the game.
After Blue Justin Chua split his charities moments later, Jeric Teng buried another trey to put UST to within one point, 66-67, with five seconds remaining.
But Ateneo’s Nico Salva calmly sank two free throws, which all but sealed the game. UST team captain Jeric Fortuna missed an equalizer, allowing the Blue Eagles to walk away with the win.
Rookie Greg Slaughter paced Ateneo with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Kiefer Ravena added 13 points. Chenny V. Ramos
