Ateneo 72, State U 64
-The final score of this game does not tell anything at all, except that the Blue Eagles are on their way towards salvaging their first round. It does not tell how the team has mounted another third quarter storm against the Fighting Maroons, extending the lead to as far as 19 points, thanks to the efforts of Kiefer Ravena and Ryan Buenafe. It does not tell how, when the head coach Bo Perasol decided to call it quits in the early fourth quarter, it was then that the offense of the Maroons, which involves putting former Green Archer Joseph Marata as the first option with nothing else after, maybe involving rookie Kyles Lao, clicked and brought the lead down to eight. But also it did not tell how a Katipunan chess match became exciting at the beginning and at the end (never mind the in between), with both teams playing almost the same offensive styles, only that the defense tipped in favor of the Blue Eagles.
-However, as with all the wins against UP in the last few years or so, this first round game should be taken with a grain of salt. Yes, the Blue Eagles played perfectly well, with Ravena leading the way alongside Buenafe and Newsome; however, this team does not feature any import at the frontcourt, leaving Chris Ball and Raul Soyud to take care of the paint, therefore making it easier to score from inside as compared to the past four games (NU with Emmanuel Mbe, FEU with Anthony Hargrove, DLSU with Arnold Van Opstal and Jason Perkins, and UE with Charles Mammie). It's a good thing that the Blue Eagles secured the win by taking advantage of its absence, by trying to score from the inside at first in order to leave the wings and the perimeter open. Moreover, they did pretty well on defense, as they were able to control the interior, forcing the Fighting Maroons to take the game outside, while forcing turnovers frequently during entry passes and kickouts. And given the still miserable record that the Blue Eagles have after six games, then count this one as a good effort.
-Looking at the development of the team after six games, it would be proper to say that the team's overall chemistry is at about 70%, considering that Kiefer Ravena has just returned and is at about 70%. Ravena's presence indeed is a boost for the Blue Eagles, but with controlled minutes, Coach Bo Perasol has to shuffle the rotation either with Von Pessumal or Gwynne Capacio (or, at times, going for a double-PG combo with Juami Tiongson as number 2 and Nico Elorde to play the point). But despite this, the result showed signs of almost-superb teamplay: the Ravena-Buenafe-Newsome trifecta scored 41 of their 72 total points, with Tiongson (as the plus-one) adding 9. The bench garnered 16 points, while 14 of the 16 Blue Eagles entered the game. Perhaps the biggest improvement that will happen here in a while is when Ravena will be at full force, and it would be soon before it happens, given that he has another six days to rest before their final first round match against the UST Growling Tigers.
-One significant performance off the bench, which perhaps a few would notice is how reserve Vince Tolentino plays defense. It seems that this 6'3" sophomore from Vancouver, Canada is more used to play the three position, and that taking the position of four or five in a zone set seems to be a tall order for him. However, against UP, his shifting movements in and out of the paint, insofar as defense is concerned, and was able to protect his areas quite well. Watch out, because if this guy is relegated to a three position during defense (come the time when the Blue Eagles will have legitimate big men (such as this) who can compete with the other UAAP teams'), he will be very reliable (well, maybe improving his speed and footwork a bit more would help).
-Chris Newsome. Alley oop. 'Nuff said.
Yes, the Sixth Man enjoyed big dunks here and there by Greg Slaughter during the past two seasons, but what made Newsome special is that in his first six games, he has displayed his superb athleticism (take note as well that he almost had a poster delivered at Bobby Ray Parks' doorstep during the Blue Eagles' game against the Bulldogs). With what he can do, expect him to do this in the games to come:
-It's not surprising that the Fighting Maroons' Joseph Marata did not actually adjust his game upon his transfer to UP from DLSU. He still identifies and establishes himself as a shooter, but what he gives, he also takes away. It is evident that he led a comeback attempt by a barrage of threes, but the way he has become trigger happy (together with his lack of defensive skills) also served as the cause as to why they never led for the entire game except for just once and only within a few seconds. For the whole game, Coach Ricky Dandan gambled on an Oklahoma City Thunder-style offense--a bad shot by Marata (or Ligad for some stretches) would be better than a good shot by anyone else (okay, maybe Chris Ball is an exemption); however, wouldn't it be better to place Lao as the first option because of his ability get past defenders for easy layups and designate Marata as a kick-out player? After all, Lao is a rising star in the making for the team, and it would be beneficial if Coach Dandan provides him the opportunity to at least lead the team on offense.
The Scores:
Ateneo 72 - Ravena 15, Buenafe 13, Newsome 13, Tiongson 9, Golla 6, Pessumal 4, Erram 4, Elorde 4, Tolentino 2, Capacio 2, Lim 0, Murphy 0, Asistio 0
State U 64 - Marata 22, Ligad 10, Ball 10, Soyud 8, Lao 7, Desiderio 3, Wong 2, Asilum 2, Suarez 0, Pascual 0, Gingerich 0, Gallarza 0, Amar 0
Quarter scores: 19-17, 38-30, 57-40, 72-64
Credits to the Fabilioh Facebook page for the photo, the respective owners of the YouTube videos, and GMA Online Sports for the box.
No comments:
Post a Comment