6 Points: AdMU vs. NU

Ateneo 82, National U 65

-Determination became the key for the Eagles. Having known that they can't upset everyone by losing two straight games, they were able to respond to the urgent situation, and strategically made modifications. What a glorious comeback for the Eagles.
-We were weak from beyond the arc, but it was our key to increasing our lead against NU. We only had a couple missed shots from three, and Kirk Long and Eric Salamat beat the dogs with good threes of their own. Kudos to Emman Monfort and Juami Tiongson as well.
-Where Ateneo came out lucky in this game, NU did not. Though Hermosisima and Malanday shot their own threes as a response to Ateneo's zone defense which clamps down on the inside, they went cold when it mattered most. What happened was that everyone just jacked up three-point shots with the hopes of clawing their way back into the fourth (like La Salle did); however, all of those were useless.
-To those who were critical of Ryan Buenafe's gameplay, perhaps there is a reason to be. In this game, all he did was to set up flash passes. It's a good thing that Kirk Long was able to balance this by playing smooth basketball fundamentals. The coaching staff ought to discipline Ryan and force him to play like he was during his rookie season.
-Highlight of the week: Salute back to Eric Salamat, for he deserves it. He did what he had to do as a King Eagle, playing well all through out and, more than that, leading the team to become a "closing team," that is, the whole team doing everything to close the game out and seal the win.
-We ought to have enough losses for round one. Pump it up, man up, and play good basketball… and the Sixth Man ought to be one with the team.

Scores:
Ateneo 82 – Salamat 20, Long 19, Salva 14, Dela Cruz 6, Golla 6, Tiongson 5, Monfort 5, Gonzaga 3, Escueta 2, Buenafe 2, Erram 0, Chua 0, Austria 0

NU 65 – Hermosisima 18, Malanday 12, Mbe 11, Khobuntin 7, Terso 5, Magat 4, Javillonar 3, Ponferrada 3, Tungcul 2, Ludovice 0, Singh 0, Baloran 0
Quarter scoring: 11-17, 33-34, 61-48, 82-65

Thanks to inboundpass for the box score, my Metaphysics professor and team chaplain, Fr. Nemy Que, SJ for the pic.