THREE-POINT PLAY: Ateneo 70, NU 56

mvp vs. the phenom (photo source)

three points on blue eagles' win against the bulldogs in their second round encounter in uaap season 75. the victory solidified ateneo at the top of the standings but a win in their elimination round finale against ust will give them the number 1 seed and twice-to-beat advantage. nu, who last beat ateneo in season 70, is the only team that has not beaten the blue eagles in the "championship era."


1. to "better" the "best." the blue eagles had a hard time getting their act done this game as the bulldogs kept the game close and even led during the halftime break. the loss of jp erram to injury disabled ateneo's twin tower combination of him and greg slaughter, which in effect gave emmanuel mbe better looks and wider space to operate. yet our big men responded to the challenge, as slaugther and nico salva combined for 36 points and helped spread the floor for the ateneo offense to find its range. three-point baskets from nico elorde, kiefer ravena, and ryan buenafe were the telling blows in that blistering fourth quarter run that made the blue eagles pull away from the bulldogs. like in our first round meeting, second half adjustments once again worked for ateneo. but if they really want to get that number one seed and the twice-to-beat advantage, they should not wait for the fourth quarter to pull away. opposing teams will always do their best against them, and they have to "better" the "best" especially with the final four race looking to be a tight battle.

not in my house (photo source)

2. oping to the rescue. as slaughter's back-up and front court partner, erram is considered as one of the crucial anchors of the vaunted ateneo defense. but with him out due to a season-ending acl injury, someone has to step up to fill jp's big shoes. this game, oping sumalinog grabbed the opportunity and proved why he belongs to the blue and white. he may not have posted big numbers this game (only two points off a fast break lay-up) but he made mbe's offensive production miserable in the second half. he blocked the nu center thrice (the refs called a foul on one of them...they better have their eyes checked), tapped the ball on defense leading to steals, and provided the intangibles that may not appear on the stat sheet but definitely gives a big lift for the team. his three point shooting particularly in the corner has been tried and tested. if this was nba live 07, he would have been this game's x-factor player. sumalinog is expected to take a bigger role, perhaps to guard jeric teng in their next game against ust. and i just hope he will deliver big on that game as he did against nu.

the big man on a roll (photo source)

3. brace yourselves for a tough grind ahead. it seems to me that the person behind the second round schedule is really out to screw ateneo's season. in this juncture of the season, ateneo is bound to play three straight games on three straight playing dates - sunday against adamson, thursday against nu, and saturday against ust. from there, they will have a long lay-off waiting for their final four match-up in what could be an intriguing scenario involving feu, ust, dlsu, and nu. their wait could be longer if uaap would decide on putting playoff games to determine seeding. after that controversial decision to re-play the nu-feu game this round, anything seems possible inside the board room. nonetheless, ateneo should better brace themselves for a tough grind ahead. ust has often been sensed as ateneo's contrapelo, having inflicted that first loss of the season and almost coming from behind a large margin to snatch a game in the final four last season. and of course, who wouldn't forget the painful memories of season 69 in 2006? the blue eagles' next game will be for the top seed and the twice-to-beat advantage. with those marbles on the line and the unfavorable schedule at hand, there's no more room for complacency and overconfidence. it has to be one big fight if they do not want to suffer one big bite.

The Scores:

ADMU 70 – Slaughter 22, Ravena 14, Salva 14, Tiongson 6, Elorde 5, Buenafe 3, Chua 2, Golla 2, Sumalinog 2, Pessumal 0, Gonzaga 0.

NU 56 – Mbe 19, Javillonar 15, Parks 11, De Guzman 5, Alolino 2, Khobuntin 2, Rosario 2, Betayene 0, Roño 0, Villamor 0.

Quarter Scores: 16-17; 31-33; 56-45; 70-56

photos from sir philip sison of fabilioh.com