-In the Blue Eagles' past games, they have started strong early on and built huge leads that secured them the victories, but can they still get the W even if they play catch-up against their opponents? The Fighting Maroons started out hot and took advantage of a disoriented Ateneo team, but the Blue Eagles woke up just in time to remind UP that they are still a team to beat, and that the day will not end with a repeat of 2009.
-The third quarter storm returned in Araneta after its disappearance in the fight against the Growling Tigers, and it completely turned the tables in favor of Ateneo. Down 8 points entering the third quarter with the Fighting Maroons threatening to seemingly blow this game wide open, a magnificent run has been set up again by the Blue Eagles, pounding in 29 big points while allowing a measly 17 markers (which was even 2 points more than the "Norman Black standard" of 15 points a quarter) against a Fighting Maroons squad who scored a game-high 40 in the first half. Nico Salva and Kiefer Ravena led the Blue Eagle's climb out of the shallow pit, slashing their way into the basket, fishing fouls, and finishing strong just to get ahead of the Fighting Maroons. As a result, the quarter ended with 61-57 in the Blue Eagles' favor after trailing as much as 10 points at the start of the second half, and they never looked back. Should we blame the shot clocks' return after their disappearance due to malfunction?
-The Fighting Maroons should be credited with coming up with a good strategy to defend Slaughter, primarily using Raul Soyud and a bunch of double teams to stand in his way toward the paint, and one can even say that they did a better job than the Green Archers, insofar as this particular game is concerned. However, the Blue Eagles were able to adjust in the second half, not only penetrating through the Fighting Maroons' weak spots, but also giving Slaughter more space to operate inside.
-The absence of Juami Tiongson due to a minor injury made it difficult for the Blue Eagles to gain momentum, but fortunately, transferee Nico Elorde was up to the challenge of playing as starting point. The former Green Archer tallied only 2 points, 4 dimes, and a rebound, but he played great second half defense against former U-18 playmaker Henri Asilum. Perhaps a little more polishing and someday, Elorde will be at the ranks of Ateneo's top perimeter defenders, something which, unfortunately, La Salle was not able to bank on and hope for.
-The whole Fighting Maroons team have been exceptional, and this is the first time that they have shown the UAAP how strong they can be. Alvin Padilla and Marc Lopez were fearless in getting past their defenders. Soyud was just solid against Slaughter, and Chris Ball showed that he is potentially a threat to the opponents' defense. However, the largest question mark has been Mike Silungan, who was expected to be the Fighting Maroons' top gunner for this season. He came out of the bench to give him a breather and ease the pressure off him, and still he was swallowed by the tendency to save his team by chucking jumpers here and there in the final minutes. In the end, he only scored 2 points, his lone basket as that which he received from a lob. If there is something urgent that the Fighting Maroons' coaching staff has to address, then it has to be Silungan's way of playing the game and how he can be molded to adjust Coach Ricky Dandan's system.
-This is the first ugly win that the Blue Eagles have received, which brings them to a lot of important things that they have to learn, especially that with the UE Red Warriors being the next opponent, they might have this tendency to be complacent. On the other hand, the Fighting Maroons have shown that they can be resilient potential contenders, having lost only by single digits in all save one of its games. And for both teams, adjustments are crucial. The Blue Eagles need to adjust and keep their game up, now that it has been explicitly made known to them that they have bigger targets on their backs. For the Fighting Maroons, however, they have to establish themselves as valuable targets.
The Scores:
Ateneo 76 – Salva 21, Slaughter 13, Ravena 11, Sumalinog 10, Chua 7, Gonzaga 5, Buenafe 5, Erram 2, Elorde 2, Pessumal 0, Capacio 0
UP 70– Lopez 13, Ball 11, Padilla 11, Gamboa 10, Soyud 9, Montecastro 6, Asilum 6, Silungan 2, Romero 2, Mbah 0, Manuel 0, Hipolito 0, Gallarza 0
Quarter scoring: 17-19, 32-40, 61-57, 76-70
Credits to Rappler for the box and the Guidon for the pic.
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