Ateneo 81, de La Salle 72
-All summer, the Blue Eagles have become a dominant team, boasting a lot of talents that meld together to combine a perfect chemistry in the works. One team they have not beaten in the pre-season (twice) was the De La Salle Green Archers, who have put pressure as much as the media and the involved communities have put upon the team. Furthermore, it is a given that every Ateneo-La Salle fight is different, simply because this is a rivalry forged between the two best schools in the Metro. Despite all of these, the Blue Eagles have held their ground and asserted their dominance with this round one win.
-At one point in the game, Kiefer Ravena dribbled the ball in his foot, which brought the ball out of bounds and back to the Green Archers. But fans would forgive him of this error, because after being held scoreless last time against the Adamson Falcons, the most sensational rookie of college basketball chipped in 24 points to give the win to Ateneo, running past DLSU guards and making wise shooting decisions, including an and-one over veteran guard Simon Atkins in a spectacular fastbreak play.
-The new Green Archer Arnold Van Opstal was able to hold his ground against the Ateneo big men, but this did not stop Greg Slaughter from attacking the paint. The seven-foot monster made timely passes to his teammates when he is doubled. He also managed to score eight points including one early dunk to fire up the Ateneo crowd early in the game.
-Fast ball and balance decided the outcome of the game. The Blue Eagles were able to garner points off turnovers, thanks to stellar backcourt defense led by Ravena, Emman Monfort, and Kirk Long. Ateneo was also able to benefit largely from the bench, with Justin Chua and Frank Golla giving the De La Salle bigs a hard time to cover the paint, while the backcourt bench were able to set up plays for themselves as well. Green Arches coach Dindo Pumaren might be famous for putting in so much of his men all through out the game, but bench efficiency in this game goes to the blue side.
-The final numbers do not tell much about the game, as Ateneo was able to build a huge 19-point lead that was cut to as close as five due to hotly contested fouls. Almost sixty percent of the time, both teams have been in the penalty. Three Blue Eagles were in foul trouble, while De La Salle had two of their men ejected late in the game (namely, Simon Atkins and L.A. Revilla). Referees ought to call the shots more wisely, especially in down-the-wire situations where everyone can only glimpse the little details which include unnecessary body contacts, of their presence or lack thereof.
-Earlier that day, the Adamson Falcons buried the Far Eastern U Tamaraws, with both splitting their first two games. Having said that, Ateneo's win gave the team an early solo lead in the season, with La Salle slumping below, 0-2.
One Big Fight.
The Scores:
Ateneo 81 – Ravena 24, Salva 18, Monfort 10, Long 10, Slaughter 7, Golla 6, Tiongson 2, Gonzaga 2, Chua 2, Capacio 0, Sumalinog 0, Austria 0
De La Salle 72 – Revilla 22, Tampus 10, Torres 9, de la Paz 9, Marata 9, Van Opstal 5, Villanueva 4, Mendoza 2, Atkins 2, Sara 0, Gotladera 0, Vosotros 0, Paredes 0, Webb 0
Quarter scoring: 23-16, 41-30, 62-49, 81-72
Photo courtesy of fabilioh.com, box scores from inboundpass.com
No comments:
Post a Comment