6 Points: AdMU vs. AdU (Round 2)

Ateneo 79, Adamson U 72

-Since 2008, the Blue Eagles have always won after a game in which they would lose, usually coming out big and showing that they are still the most dominant team in the UAAP. In Ateneo's twelfth game of the elimination, the Adamson Soaring Falcons seem to break the four-peat champions' record, using all means to separate themselves and consequently deal another second-round loss to the Blue Eagles. However, late baskets coming from the Blue Eagles in the closing minutes of the game enabled them to separate themselves from the feisty  Falcons and secured their 10th win of the season and 11th straight Final Four appearance since 2002.

-The Soaring Falcons' early lead, which they sustained most of the game came mainly from Eric Camson who shot the ball like frenzy both from the inside and the outside. However, in the dying minutes of the game, it was Nico Salva's turn to hit those big shots that gave the Blue Eagles the lead until the final buzzer. After struggling for much of the second round, Salva shot his way to 24 big points, with most coming from the long-two area where he is at home. If the former SBC Red Cub, now in his last year as a Blue Eagle, continues this splendid performance on both ends until the Final Four, he might just grab his second Finals MVP plum.

-Nico Elorde finally emerged out of the shadows of beneficial intangibles and made himself visible in the stat sheet. Elorde, who snapped his arrows for a pair of wings, became the fourth Blue Eagle to score in double digits off a few short stabs and long jumpers, proving to be an effective replacement to Juami Tiongson, who at that time was struggling on the defensive end which greatly affected his offense. With Elorde around, it seems that the future of the Blue and White at the one spot would be safe, as his toughness and ability to get past defenders (which brings him close to being an Emman Monfort) would be the greatest asset of the Blue Eagles in the near future, insofar as the backcourt department is concerned.

-What everyone witnessed in this game is not so much about the skills and talents of the players involved, but more importantly, the coaching war that occurred. Adamson's Coach Leo Austria knows Coach Norman Black and his Ateneo team very well, and he has every weapon for everything that the Blue and White throws at him. He came up with a quick lineup to provide double, triple teams to Slaughter in the low post, devised a way of clogging up the lanes which lessened the chances of Kiefer Ravena and Ryan Buenafe to drive in the lane, and when it's the Blue Eagles' turn to clog Adamson's lanes, he brought out the snipers and hit big threes to keep themselves afloat. However, the closing minutes of the game belonged to Coach Norman Black, as he tightened the clamps on defense, put more pressure on the red-hot Camson while letting guards run past picks and keep their men intact, and let his own players create their own offense.

-Eric Camson definitely had the license to shoot, finishing with 26 points thanks to six big triples that kept the Soaring Falcons afloat most of the game.  However, his struggles to get past the defense of the Blue Eagles just to score cost him in the final minutes, as fatigue crept up on him and hindered him from scoring big in the final stretch. Worse, other Falcons who were supposed to play second fiddle to him and back him up were seemingly missing. Roider Cabrera hit his threes early, but he cannot find his own position in the final minutes of the game. Rookie Jericho Cruz seemingly lost his ability to finish inside the basket, and Jansen Rios and Ryan Monteclaro failed to put the clamps down on Ravena as soon as he was barraging his way inside for quick layups.

-This win earned the Blue Eagles their Final Four spot for this season, their 11th straight since winning the championship in 2002, the most recent Ateneo championship before the historic 4-peat. They will be facing the streaking National U Bulldogs next. However, they will have to face their remaining UAAP games without the services of their backup center JP Erram, who tore his ACL after going for a rebound late in the third quarter. Erram will be out for the rest of the season for therapy, leaving Justin Chua and Frank Golla to man the four and five spots for the reserve unit.

The Scores:


Ateneo 79 – Salva 24, Slaughter 16, Ravena 15, Elorde 10, Chua 6, Tiongson 3, Buenafe 3, Sumalinog 1, Erram 1, Gonzaga 0, Golla 0

Adamson 72 – Camson 26, Cruz 14, Cabrera 10, Brondial 8, Monteclaro 8, Rios 4, Etrone 2, Trollano 0, Petilos 0, Agustin 0

Quarter scoring: 21-25, 38-38, 55-59, 79-72

3-in-1: vs. UP, FEU, DLSU (Round 2)

Once the UAAP Season 75 Schedule was released, followers of the Blue and White were quite puzzled (some even enraged) as to why the Blue Eagles will have to play 3 games in 8 days, with the last 2 of that stretch against teams that will most likely enter the Final Four and will pose legitimate threats to their championship run. However, instead of being seen as a hindrance, the team took it as a challenge, and within these 8 days, big adjustments have been made, coupled with results that even until now surprises everyone.

Ateneo 73, State U 66

The Blue Eagles started the second round with a match against a team that has all the potential to stage the biggest upsets this season. Coming off from a win against the UE Red Warriors, the Fighting Maroons brought out their best against the Blue Eagles, with big man Raul Soyud and gunner Mike Silungan leading the way to keep the score close and even take the lead at the half. However, once the third quarter kicks in, star sophomore Kiefer Ravena took charge and made up for the woes that Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva experienced early on. The Fighting Maroons threatened to snatch a win by coming in as close as four points in the final minutes of the game, but misses by rookie Henry Asilum and Silungan from beyond the arc allowed the Blue Eagles breathing room at the end.

Ateneo 77, Far Eastern U 64

Four days after that close win against UP, the Blue Eagles prepared for one of the biggest second round matches where winning is not an option but a necessity, knowing that any complacency on the Blue Eagles' part would cost them the number one spot and even the twice-to-beat advantage that they have held onto since Season 71.

As usual, the battle against the Tamaraws on the court was not an easy one. Punches and elbos came in the way of the Blue Eagles, as they shot charities after two unsportsmanlike fouls called on FEU. Afterwards, Ryan Buenafe was likewise called for an unsportsmanlike foul against Anthony Hargrove, and was then sent out of the playing court after being confronted by Mac Belo, from which Buenafe defended himself.

The Blue Eagles started with a huge 11-point lead, only to be relinquished and made into a 2-point deficit by the Tamaraws during the half. However, the third and fourth quarters proved to be crucial, as Juami Tiongson and Kiefer Ravena made up for Buenafe's absence by a barrage of wing triples that gave the Blue Eagles the lead for good. Another altercation happened in the final canto, when Arvie Bringas spit on the face of Justin Chua as the latter tried to stop the former from getting back at Greg Slaughter, who silently delivered an elbow at the back of Bringas before heading to the bench during timeout. As a result, Bringas was sent out of the court and later on was given a two-game suspension (one from the UAAP board and another from the FEU athletic committee).

What could perhaps go down as one of the dirtiest games between Ateneo and FEU ended up with a 13-point win for the Blue and White, who never gave up the lead once they were able to grab hold of it. However, the big win came at a cost as backup center JP Erram was suspended for the next game as he was retroactively slapped with his 2nd unsportsmanlike foul.

Ateneo 77, De La Salle 67

Everyone thought that JP Erram's absence would make things harder for the Blue and White to face their rivals, who in turn did not have top point guard L.A. Revilla at their disposal due to his nagging ankle injury. But then, Ryan Buenafe assured the Katipunan squad that everything would turn out just as fine for Ateneo.

Buenafe led a 26-10 first quarter run that silenced the sea of green in Araneta, as the returning forward hit a barrage of threes (Buenafe ended the game with 5, three short of all the 3-point field goals made he made last Season 73) that puzzled everyone at the Araneta. He also was able to defend top rookie Jeron Teng, who worked double to earn his 22 points as he struggled from the perimeter with Buenafe guarding him. The Green Archers tried to stage a comeback led by Almond Vosotros, who hit threes of his own. The Gang Green even came close to within 2 points early in the third, but Buenafe and Ravena led another charge that cushioned the lead and gave the Blue Eagles an 11-point lead by the end of the third, which, once again, they maintained despite being in the penalty early in the fourth.

At the expense of Greg Slaughter's measly 4-point production (the big man, however, grabbed 11 points, 4 assists, and 5 blocks), four Blue Eagles scored in double figures (Buenafe, Ravena, a lethargic Nico Salva, and Juami Tiongson) as they swept the Green Archers in the elimination round, a team which they would most likely face in the Final Four Semis.

These three wins gave them a strong grip of the number one spot, at a distance from FEU, UST, and DLSU who still have to establish their spots in the Final Four. And at this point, it will only take them two more wins (the next games against UE and Adamson, respectively) to seal their 11th straight Final Four spot and fifth straight twice-to-beat card.

The Scores:

Ateneo 73 – Ravena 21, Salva 10, Gonzaga 10, Slaughter 9, Erram 9, Tiongson 6, Chua 3, Buenafe 2, Elorde 2, SUmalinog 0, Pessumal 0, Golla 0

UP 66 – Soyud 14, Silungan 13, Asilum 10, Lopez 8, Padilla 6, Gamboa 6, Gallarza 5, Montecastro 2, Hipolito 2, Mbah 0, Wierzba 0, Romero 0, Manuel 0

Quarter scoring: 17-17, 32-34, 53-46, 73-66

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Ateneo 77 - Tiongson 16, Salva 15, Ravena 12, Slaughter 10, Erram 8, Chua 8, Pessumal 4, Elorde 4, Gonzaga 0, Capacio 0, Golla 0, Capacio 0, Buenafe 0

FEU 64 - Garcia 14, Romeo 13, Hargrove 10, A Bringas 7, Mendoza 6, Escoto 5, Cruz 3, M Bringas 2, Inigo 2, Pogoy 2, Sentchu 0, Jose 0, Belo 0, Guerrero 0

Quarter scoring: 15-13, 32-34, 49-43, 77-64

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Ateneo 77 - Buenafe 24, Ravena 18, Salva 12, Tiongson 10, Slaughter 4, Chua 4, Sumalinog 3, Gonzaga 2, Golla 0, Elorde 0

La Salle 67 - Teng 22, Vosotros 20, Van Opstal 8, Tampus 8, N Torres 4, Manguera 3, Mendoza 2, Andrada 0, Paredes 0, T Torres 0, Tallo 0, Webb 0

Quarter scoring: 26-10, 35-29, 57-46, 77-67

Credits to GMA Sports for the box, Fabilioh.com for the pics.