Thursday, July 21, 2011

6 Points: AdMU vs. NU


Ateneo 86, National U 62

-The Ravena-Parks match up and the multitude of upgrades the Bulldogs made in their basketball program just makes the final score unimaginable, for everyone thinks that the Bulldogs will be the Eagles' formidable foe this season. But then, this game was reminiscent of the past three seasons' matchups against the Bulldogs, with the Blue Eagles earning their third and most spectacular win for the season. The final score wasn't even telling the whole thing, as the game was practically over after Juami Tiongson's trey gave Ateneo a 32-point lead over NU after the third quarter, 69-37.

-In this game, unselfish ball prevailed. While the games against Adamson and De La Salle were that of Slaughter's and Ravena's respectively in terms of scoring, this was the Blue Eagles' game. Almost everyone got a piece of the score including nine from the third stringers, namely JP Erram (6), Gwynne Capacio (2), and Von Pessumal (1). The Blue Eagles also recorded a league-high 30 dimes, most of them from plays off NU turnovers.

-Height might be a big factor, as Slaughter was able to once again own the paint, while Mbe, at times, outhustled the Ateneo big men on the O, but it's not entirely about it. Eman Monfort played big down the stretch, as he was able to crash the boards, make crucial steals, and draw fouls from the NU guards. Despite finishing with just 10points (without getting his momentum in shooting threes), he was a key player especially during transition plays. Hopefully, the next bunch of guards (Mark Tallo, it could have been you!) can take on his role.

-The bench relatively played better today, compared to the last few games. Juami Tiongson was able to sink in two treys, Oping Sumalinog did very well on both ends, and Golla and Chua kept the NU bigs outside the paint while Salva and Slaughter rested. However, Justin Chua needs to find his touches quick in order to be a dangerous player once again.

-Taking away the garbage points he had during the fourth, Ray Parks only had eight points at the end of three quarters, many thanks to Kirk Long, who did the job of slowing Ray Parks down and denying him open spots and easy jumpers. This proves that if opponents want to score against the Blue Eagles, they have to take it the hard way. With Parks slowed down and Mbe in foul trouble, the Bulldogs have to practically consider third options. But then, it seemed that Gelo Alolino was the only to take on the scoring responsibilities, as veterans Joseph Terso and Glenn Khobuntin were nowhere to be found on both ends.

-Three games have already revealed that the way Ateneo wisely uses plays over turnovers makes them the most dangerous team in the UAAP, set to win their fourth straight championship. The Blue Eagles' scoring spurts started and kept rolling through fastbreak opportunities. Once again, fast ball became the key.

The Scores:

Ateneo 86 – Slaughter 15, Ravena 13, Salva 12, Long 11, Sumalinog 7, Monfort 7, Erram 6, Tiongson 6, Capacio 2, Gonzaga 2, Chua 2, Austria 2, Pessumal 1, Cipriano 0, Estrada 0, Golla 0

NU 62 – Parks 20, Alolino 11, Mbe 10, Celda 7, Javillonar 6, Celiz 2, Khobuntin 2, Magat 2, Labing-isa 1, Terso 1, Villamor 0, Roño 0, Eman 0, Ignacio 0
Quarter scoring: 16-11, 38-20, 69-37, 86-62

Photo and box from inboundpass.com

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