Ateneo 74, Far Eastern U 63
-After a very slow start for the defending Fil-Oil and UAAP champions all through out the elimination round, the Blue Eagles finally had a big win that fans were waiting for, as they dismantled the FEU Tamaraws to enter the semis. However, this came after three tight quarters, where the Tams somehow managed to find their offense early thanks to RR Garcia and new import Anthony Hargrove. In the end, it was still Greg Slaughter who came out on top, with Ateneo not looking back at the Tams who mustered all efforts just to keep the score close.
-This game showed the importance of Slaughter in the Blue Eagles' offense this season. While the Ateneo backcourt has struggled to find their shots from the outside, the Blue Eagles were very comfortable in the paint, as Slaughter's presence helped them haul second chance opportunities to score. His presence could have also contributed in . On the other end of the court, his presence gave the other Eagles the confidence to go for the boards, something that they failed to do during their game against DLSU.
-Kiefer Ravena remains to be a question mark up until this game. The former rookie of the year's shooting has gone down to the low thirties in this Fil-Oil tournament, not even making those simple midrange jumpers and fastbreak lay ups. However, in this game, he garnered 9 rebounds and 7 assists, which is an amazing feat considering his scoring slump lately. Is this just a case of poor shooting on his part? Or is it a matter of adjusting to the pace that the Blue Eagles are playing right now? Either way, we hope to see a better Ravena as the UAAP season opens.
-Thanks to scoring spurts late in the fourth quarter, the Blue Eagles have firmly padded the lead that they had in the third, finally sealing the victory earlier than expected, and surprisingly, it came from long bombs that the Blue Eagles have been wanting to put in since the first day of the preseason tournament. Tonino Gonzaga, the energetic scorer who did not get a single shot in during the first three quarters, started the fourth with a 5-0 run of his own. Juami Tiongson, heavily criticized because of his playing style as a starting guard alongside Ravena, hit two more threes to finally give the win to Ateneo. It's a consoling thought that with Ravena out cold in the backcourt, there are guys who can carry his load and actually score when it's needed; however, consistency should be the key for them, and perhaps the team needs to really work out their offensive sets before the UAAP season kicks in.
-As far as the first three quarters are concerned, the Tamaraws have shown that they are still championship contenders after experiencing two straight Finals losses against the four-time champions. The trio of RR Garcia, Terrence Romeo, and Mike Tolomia have not changed in terms of scoring. The backcourt got a huge upgrade with the addition of American Anthony Hargrove (who once trained for the Blue Eagles) and former DLSU forward Arvie Bringas (who was slapped with two technicals in this game and was consequently ejected from the game due to trash-talking). Right now, all the Tamaraws need to do is to work out their combinations in the court, and if they ever find the right ones, then they still have a good chance of entering the Finals for the third straight year.
-Another championship contender is next in line to test the Blue Eagles, as Ateneo now gains a semifinal match with the National University Bulldogs. Keeping in mind the huge improvement that the Bulldogs had this season, it will be exciting to see how the defending champions will adjust and keep up with Bobby Ray Park's team that is sure to make it big come Season 75.
The Scores:
Ateneo 75 - Slaughter 29, Tiongson 12, Salva 9, Gonzaga 9, Sumalinog 7, Ravena 6, Erram 2, Babilonia 0, Pessumal 0, Lim 0, Cipriano 0, Chua 0, Buenafe 0, Elorde 0, Porter 0, Golla 0
FEU 63 – Romeo 13, Hargrove 12, Garcia 8, Tolomia 8, Cruz 6, Belo 5, Mendoza 4, A. Bringas 4, Escoto 2, Sentcheu 1, Huevos 0, M. Bringas 0, Pogoy 0, Inigo 0
Quarter scoring: 15-16, 30-33, 51-50, 75-63
Credits to Inquirer for the pic.
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