i am a muscle man (photo source)
three points on the blue eagles' win against the bulldogs in the first round of uaap season 75. the last time nu defeated ateneo was way back in the 2nd round of season 70. that cost ateneo the second seed and twice-to-beat advantage in what would be the step-ladder playoffs, which determined who would challenge the undefeated ue red warriors in the championship round. and the rest was history.
pick your poison (photo source)
1. perimeter defense. ateneo truly felt the departure of veteran perimeter defenders kirk long (who ended up as a tv analyst in the first game of the day), emman monfort, and bacon austria in that stinging defeat against ust last saturday. perceiving this as one of the big blows that can hurt ateneo in the long run, coach norman black was quick to make adjustments in this game. kiefer ravena took the task of guarding reigning mvp and scoring dynamo bobby ray parks while tonino gonzaga was also inserted into the starting lineup as an alternative defender against parks who was a lefty like him. the blue eagles kept the bulldogs' three point shooters at bay, forcing them to shoot a measly 9.5% clip (2-21) from beyond the arc. what i think was key here was letting emmanuel mbe shoot inside while holding parks to chuck up contested mid-range jumpers and denying the corner from denice villamor and mark de guzman. they must have picked their poison by letting mbe shoot inside, but there's greg slaughter to take care of the shaded area (he had 3 blocks in the game). moreover, limiting the opponent's offense is always an important element in an ateneo victory (nu shot 36.44% from the field this game). looking forward to the rivalry game against la salle, the blue eagles must keep up their defensive intensity especially against a team laced with slashers, outside scorers, and looming inside threats like the green archers.
coach norman: "ryan, may lechon after the game" (photo source)
2. no lead is safe. at one point in the first half, ateneo's lead went up to 19, but the people in the stands seem not to be happy with it. after that meltdown against ust, the blue eagles learned one very crucial lesson: no lead is safe. even when ateneo's lead ballooned to 26, it seems that there is still a danger looming that this lead could dissipate in our very own eyes. i think it's a good thing, as the game lasts until the buzzer sounds and not even a huge double-digit lead is safe against a team who is playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain. opponents took an upgrade in more ways than one, and lady luck can smile on players to finally find their range after a rough assignment at the beginning of the game. again, there's no room for complacency and overconfidence in a team looking to achieve something that hasn't been done in a long time. for ateneo, it's all about playing 45 minutes (including 5 extra minutes in case overtime ensues) of basketball marked with patience, discipline, and intensity.
"bawal kampante!" (photo source)
3. fight as a team, win as a team. the blue eagles distributed the ball better (24 assists vs. 15 for nu) and had more players sharing the offensive load for the team. justin chua had a field day making 4-of-5 from both the field and the free throw area for 12 points in 14 minutes of action. slaughter had another dominant stat line for the winning team with 14 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal. ravena is slowly but surely finding his mark in the offensive end while nico salva just had the kobe system turned on in his arsenal with 21 points. back-ups and reserves also had their contributions to the team especially gonzaga (who didn't take a single shot in the game against ust), juami tiongson (who is gradually developing that pass-first mentality), ryan buenafe (that buzzer beating three at the end of the third quarter gave me goosebumps as it reminded me of "the shot" in game 2 of season 73 finals), nico elorde (his hustle is very valuable to the team), and jp erram (more exposure for our next guy in the middle). the blue eagles rolled out the victory as a team and that is something everyone is definitely looking forward too in the highly-touted ateneo-la salle game this coming saturday.
The scores:
ADMU 89: Salva 21, Ravena 17, Slaughter 14, Chua 12, Gonzaga 9, Tiongson 8, Elorde 3, Buenafe 3, Erram 2, Porter 0, Pessumal 0, Capacio 0
NU 65: Parks 22, Mbe 14, Villamor 10, Ignacio 6, Rono 5, De Guzman 2, Betayene 2, Alolino 2, Khobuntin 1, Javillonar 1, Rosario 0, Neypes 0, Labing-isa 0
Quarter scoring: 28-17, 55-34, 72-54, 89-65
photos from sir philip sison of fabilioh.com
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