Ateneo 73, De La Salle 82
-The prevailing plotline which lasted for three games and finally driven to the extreme is that what was once hailed as the "third quarter storm" of the Blue Eagles turned into a nightmare in Coach Bo Perasol and a roster that does not have its ace player. In the middle of the third quarter, the Blue Eagles held a 14-point lead against their archrivals, but an adjustment made by DLSU head coach Juno Sauler transformed that into a 3-point deficit heading into the fourth. After that, the Archers never looked back, pinning down any chances of an Ateneo comeback when Luigi de la Paz hit a corner three that gave the first round match to them. If this becomes a trend in the next four games of the Blue Eagles, then it would be hard to at least muster a win in this first round.
-We can see how first year Blue Eagle Chris Newsome can carry the whole Blue Eagles team on the offensive end, as we have seen him make the most ridiculous shots, cuts, slashes, and pops that no Blue Eagle of the past few seasons have ever done. Newsome's presence on the court already is a threat to any opponent, and had it been possible for him to create his shots without the danger of fouling out, it could have been Ateneo's game to take.
-Unfortunately, this game showed how much the Blue Eagles needed a consistent big man who can go wwith the towers of seven other UAAP teams. When everyone has thought that they have found it in JP Erram following the departure of Greg Slaughter, they have seen an offensive powerhouse on his way to recovery, until he fouled out near the end of the third quarter, leaving the Blue Eagles under the undersized bigs Vince Tolentino and Giboy Babilonia who both had difficulty taking care of both ends of the floor. The Green Archers abused this situation and allowed their bigs to score and maul them from the inside, which clearly explains why Arnold Van Opstal, who once was a negligible player when the Blue Eagles play DLSU, came up big. And we see that because the inside D broke down, the fort that was the perimeter has been left open for Almond Vosotros, Thomas Torres, and de la Paz to maximize.
-Hopefully, this will be the only bad game that the Blue Eagles will get from Ryan Buenafe. Sure, the whole La Salle D clamped up on him, which paved the way for Newsome to take over. However, we have known Ryan Buenafe as a nifty passer and a shot creator who can destroy planned defensive schemes and grant easy offense, and he seems to not have shown this in the second half. In the danger of fouling out, Buenafe instead settled for quick jumpers and ill-advised triples, which led to easy transition points for the Green Archers. If at all, what is necessary for Buenafe, especially now that Kiefer Ravena has still not recovered, is to accept his role once again as "that" dangerous first option.
-Coach Perasol, during the postgame interview, spoke of his disbelief over adjustment and instead blames the lack of the collective energy that the team has in explaining the loss. One could immediately conclude that he stands in stark contrast with the Blue Eagles' fivepeat coach, Norman Black, who believes in second half adjustments to turn fortunes around and put the game in his favor. Even if it were such, it would not make sense to immediately conclude that a sixth straight championship is out of reach due to the attitude of the coach towards the game. There could be other factors that come along with it, given that Coach Perasol inherited a roster that just underwent a major overhaul. It would be wise perhaps to suspend such judgment until the end of this "adjustment season."
-Could the Blue Eagles have won with Kiefer Ravena playing? As of the moment, it would be difficult to speculate how the team's efforts in the UAAP would get affected once Ravena, assuming that he is at 100%, checks in as an active player. However, the 16-point lead that the Blue Eagles have during the third quarter, and this time in reference to their Fil-Oil win against the Green Archers more than a month ago, would be very telling. It would be futile to consider what could have happened, but the difference that Ravena makes on the court would assure the Sixth Men that the second round matchup would be very different.
The Scores:
Ateneo 73 - Newsome 27, Tiongson 14, Buenafe 11, Pessumal 10, Erram 6, Elorde 3, Golla 2, Tolentino 0, Capacio 0, Babilonia 0
De La Salle 82: Vosotros 19, Van Opstal 18, Teng 13, Dela Paz 10, Perkins 9, T Torres 8, N Torres 5, Reyes 0, Montalbo 0, Bolick 0
Quarter Scores: 20-14, 40-28, 56-59, 73-82
Credits to the Fabilioh Facebook page for the image and GMA Network Sports for the box.
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