6 Points: AdMU vs. NU

Ateneo 89, National U 65


-The Blue Eagles entered the third game with the specter of a loss looming over their heads, but they sent those negative vibes away as they trampled upon the one who is favored to steal their trophy. Once the Blue Eagles got hold of an early double digit lead in the first quarter, they never looked back and cruised to victory by a totally unexpected 24-point margin.

-It was just another day at the court for the trifecta of Nico Salva, Greg Slaughter, and Kiefer Ravena, who scored 52 points overall. Salva and Ravena took care of Ateneo's transition game, making most out of the fastbreak opportunities by scoring strong inside and fishing fouls. Slaughter, meanwhile, proved that he ought to be counted as one of the best bigs in the history of the Blue Eagles, by manhandling the paint, dropping dimes everywhere and finding opportunities to score easily against whatever the Bulldogs threw at him. With these three on fire and playing a team game where their teammates are given opportunities to score, Ateneo is again headed for another dream season, closer to winning their fifth straight title.

-Juami Tiongson has again showed his brilliance in the one spot, more than the six quick points that he has delivered in the opening canto. It as the third game where he has showed that he can take over the position and develop his own brand of pinpoint passing and playmaking which hopes to surpass that of Emman Monfort. After three games, Tiongson led the league with 19 total assists, notching a little less than 8 a game, and he has so far orchestrated a few good plays that lead to easy scores for the Blue Eagles. With this adjustment, the Blue Eagle crowd can only hope that he gets to play better as the season goes along.

-It would perhaps be fitting to bid farewell to big bench slumps that the Blue Eagles had during Season 74, as Ryan Buenafe once again led the bench, not statistically but strategically. As playmaker who doubles as a scorer for the second squad, he has not only given opportunities for Justin Chua and Tonino Gonzaga to show what they can do once they get their big backs of the warm benches, but also hit a shot that reminded us of Season 73: that left elbow triple that bailed the Blue Eagles out in the third quarter, ruling out the possibility of an NU comeback in the final minutes of the game.

-Parks's 22-7-4 is usual for a player this dominant; however, what kept NU from putting up a good fight was the loss of two weapons that supported Parks' own armory: Emmanuel Mbe's inside scoring presence and their scoring from beyond the arc. Mbe only had 14 markers against a dominant Slaughter, the former having to slug it out to actually free himself of the latter's clamps. The Bulldogs' snipers, on the other hand, seemed to be at their worst, as they hit only 2 out of their 21 attempts from beyond the arc. From these, it looks like the Bulldogs is still haunted by the specter of Season 74, where they received their worst losses from the Blue Eagles, and that their Fil-Oil experience of beating Ateneo by 17 points did not not really prepare them for what is to come.

-Finishing a big game with an even bigger lead should give the Blue Eagles enough confidence and determination to shut down another team to watch, namely their archrivals the De La Salle Green Archers. With the Taft squad having gotten a huge revamp, expect the next game to be a puzzle for Coach Norman Black, and unlike the games of old against DLSU, this will not be an easy walk to the park.

The Scores:

Ateneo 89 - Salva 21, Ravena 17, Slaughter 14, Chua 12, Gonzaga 9, Tiongson 8, Elorde 3, Buenafe 3, Erram 2, Porter 0, Pessumal 0, Capacio 0

NU 65 -  Parks 22, Mbe 14, Villamor 10, Ignacio 6, Rono 5, De Guzman 2, Betayene 2, Alolino 2, Khobuntin 1, Javillonar 1, Rosario 0, Neypes 0, Labing-isa 0

Quarter scoring: 28-17, 55-34, 72-54, 89-65

Credits to GMA Sports Online for the box, and The Guidon Sports for the pic.