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Bring on the Tamaraws of Far Eastern University.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles signified their strong intention of scoring a rare ‘three- peat’ as they blasted the Adamson Falcons, 68-55, in their Final Four encounter in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament Sunday at the Big Dome.

Eman Monfort, the smallest guy in the Eagles’ camp, played his biggest game of the season. He finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and a little bit of everything that made the entire team look good.

This batch of Blue Eagles will try to become the first team to reward the school its first grandslam when they take on the top-seeded Tamaraws beginning Saturday.

The Blue Eagles have won back-to-back titles both in the NCAA and UAAP, but they have yet to complete a rare 'three-peat'.

The defending champs will certainly have their hands full against FEU, a serious title contender for several years now, but which has yet to win the big one since the 2004-05 seasons.

For a while, Monfort took a page from LA Tenorio’s brand of play.

Like Tenorio, a member of Ateneo’s champion team in 2002 and who is now regarded as arguably the best point guard in the PBA, Monfort kept hold of his team from start to finish.

The 5-foot-9 guard figured prominently when Ateneo made a big run in the first period, and also orchestrated matters for his squad when it established its biggest lead at 60-39 in the closing seconds of the third period.

FEU and Ateneo last met in the finals in 2003, a showdown which featured brothers Koy and Joel Banal at the opposite ends of the court.

Koy’s Tamaraws, then bannered by current PBA stars Arwind Santos, Denok Miranda and Mark Isip among others, swept Joel’s Eagles squad in two consecutive games.

Although this season’s cast is different, Ateneo coach Norman Black expects the road to an elusive ‘three-peat’ will be tougher than ever.

"We have not beaten them in two games and I'm looking forward to playing them again," said Black. "We're evenly matched and I believe it will be the big men who will play pivotal roles in this series.

FEU won both tightly-contested games this season -- 72-69 in the first round and 74-72 in the second round.

While Black expects the frontliners to take over in the finals, in making it there, it was the backcourt men, particularly Monfort, who set the tone for the Eagles’ onslaught against Adamson.

Monfort had 15 of his total output in the first half as he hit a perfect 3-of-3 from the three-point area. On defense, the wily Ateneo guard bottled up Adamson counterparts Lester Alvarez, who committed two quick fouls early, and Jerick Canada.

"We decided this week that we would insert him (Monfort) into the starting lineup because we really needed his energy against Adamson and he did a pretty good job," said Black.

With Monfort in charge, Black was able to give Eric Salamat much-needed rest.

Salamat played only 19 minutes Sunday and scored only seven points. The lefty combo guard has attended practice just once over the past week due to fever.

"I was not thinking of which player I'll match up with. The only thing important is to play my role as the team’s point guard," said Monfort, a recruit from Ateneo de Iloilo.

Kirk Long added 13 points, three rebounds and four assists while Nico Salva tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks for the Eagles, who beat the Falcons for the 28th consecutive time since 1997.

The last time Adamson defeated Ateneo was on September 18, 1997, 54-52, when the Falcons had Eddie Laure and Gherome Ejercito as two of their main men.

The Falcons entered the Final Four for only the second time since 1994. But chances of forging a do-or-die semis match against the Blue Eagles were not encouraging as the San Marcelino-based dribblers were held down to a paltry 27-percent field goal shooting (17-of-63) by their rivals from Katipunan Avenue in Loyola Heights.

Ateneo shot a more decent 42-percent clip (22-of-52).

Key players who struggled for Adamson were Alex Nuyles and Kenyan Austin Manyara.

Nuyles, the team's leading scorer in the elims, failed to score a single point in the first three quarters before making his first one -- a slam dunk -- at the start of the fourth period. He finished with only four points in 26 minutes off the bench.

Manyara, on the other hand, registered only six points and eight boards.

"I think we we're surprised with the way Ateneo prepared for this game. It’s a different atmosphere in the Final Four and my players failed to respond to it, which is why we played a very frustrating game. But I'm still proud of what we’ve achieved," said Adamson coach Leo Austria, whose contract as coach of the Falcons will expire next month.