Ateneo will long remember what rookie Kirk Long did yesterday at the Araneta Coliseum.

With time running out and defeat knocking on the door, Long scored on a 17-foot Hail Mary jumper lifting Ateneo to a 72-71 win over defending champion University of Santo Tomas in their UAAP basketball tournament thriller.

Claiford Arao's presence of mind was the other key factor in the pulsating game. He made the pass to Long after failing to find Chris Tiu, the team's go-to-guy, and after he himself could not find a shot against UST's swarming defense.

In all, it was also Arao's day as he top-scored for Ateneo with 20 points.

Victory would have come sweeter for the Eagles who posted their second straight win after three straight losses and now sports a 6-4 card putting them in solo third and solidifying their Final Four aspirations.

The setback was a bitter one for the Tigers who had looked like a winner after Khasim Mirza shoved the Tigers ahead at 71-70 with 19 seconds to go on a drive.

The loss was the fifth in 11 outings for the Tigers whose resurgence had thrilled their fans after an uninspiring start to the season. Their 6-5 card tied them for fourth spot with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws who buried the University of the Philippines Maroons deeper into the cellar with an 83-61 rout in the other game.

Coach Norman Black had devised a plan for Tiu who was to make the shot. But even the best laid plans could go awry. Thankfully for Ateneo, there was Arao to make the pass and Long to recieve it and converting under tremendous pressure.

"First thing on my mind was get the ball to Chris Tiu, he's our man but the ball ended up in my hand and I just threw it up and wished for the best," Long said, who turns 19 tomorrow.

Black was so happy with the result.

"That was not exactly the plan we drew up on the board. We couldn't find Chris Tiu but we just did a good job rotating the basketball and Kirk Long just stepped up and made a huge shot," Black said.

A graduate of Faith Academy in Antipolo, the 6-foot Long who is one of Ateneo's two foreign players, and holder of US passport, played for 19 minutes and finished with 10 points. He also had two rebounds and one assist in what may rightly be is breakout game.

One high-profile Ateneo supporter praised Black.

"That's (Norman) Black's territory so I knew that Ateneo would win in the end," Sen. Richard Gordon said, a rabid Ateneo fan and alumnus who seldom misses his school's games.

"Black's good in close games," Gordon said.

The Tamaraws' win also energized their Final Four bid.

They put the game under wraps at the end of the first half as Ric Cawaling, Marnel Baracael, Reil Cervantes and Aldrech Ramos joined hands to give FEU a 45-24.

"Every game counts because the teams vying for slots in the final four are bunched together," Tamaraws coach Glen Capacio said. "You cannot afford to lose from now on."

"We had everything to lose coming into this game against UP," Capacio said.