Eagles, Tigers renew rivalry in PCCL finals

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo and University of Santo Tomas begin their showdown for the Philippine Collegiate Champions League crown today with the Eagles going for a repeat over the Tigers seeking a payback in their second title clash in two months.

The Eagles and the Tigers finished with identical 2-1 cards after the single-round robin Final Four to seal another best-of-three showdown set at 4 p.m. at The Arena in San Juan.

Ateneo swept UST in two games to annex its fifth straight UAAP crown but the Tigers showed their readiness to get back at the Eagles by beating them 76-66 at the start of the PCCL semis last week.

But the Eagles rebounded with a pair of routs to get into the finals, a 96-78 romp over reigning Cebu champion Southwestern U Friday and a 66-49 thrashing of defending NCAA titlist San Beda last Sunday.

Game Two is on Thursday and a decider, if necessary, is set Friday.

Ateneo interim coach Gabby Severino will still call the shots despite the recent appointment of Bo Perasol as the new Eagles coach.

However, Perasol, who will start his three-year contract with the Jesuit-ran Loyola-based school on Dec. 1, hinted at sitting behind the Ateneo bench to provide support.

“I will still coach Ateneo the rest of the PCCL,” said Severino.

Whoever sits on the Ateneo bench doesn’t worry UST coach Pido Jarencio a bit.

“We’re ready to play and hopefully win this,” said Jarencio in Filipino.

While it marked the sixth straight time that the Eagles will make the PCCL finals, the Tigers will be shooting for the crown for the first time.

Meanwhile, San Beda and SWU, which finished with identical 1-2 records, clash at 2 p.m. in the battle for third place.

The Lions will be playing without Nigerian center Ola Adeogun, who sustained an ankle injury in a recent PBA D-League game more than a week ago.

The Cobras, on the other hand, will lean on Cameroonian Benoit Mbala, who torched the Tigers with 41 points, in their overtime win last Sunday.

“We’re playing here to gain more experience and finishing third will be a big accomplishment for us,” said SWU coach Yayoy Alcoseba.