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.
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