Season 76 Senior Salute

The Blue Eagles' tough season ended with an 82-74 loss against the UST Growling Tigers last 18 September, which booted them out of the Final Four after 14 years, ending as well that magnificent five-year championship run in the men's basketball division. However, this big loss (the biggest even) that the Blue Eagles had would not be the final word for the team's graduating seniors, who have contributed a lot to Blue Eagles basketball in their own way. If not for them, the five straight championships in these past seasons might not have been possible.

So without further ado, the graduating class of Season 76.

Frank Golla

Season 76 statline: 4.5ppg, 2.9rpg, 0.3apg, 0.3spg, 0.1bpg, 23.2mpg

Let's admit it, Golla isn't one of those who were admired by the team, and most of the time he was on the receiving end of criticism, especially now that he serves as the anchor of the Blue Eagles in the paint after the departure of Justin Chua, Greg Slaughter, and Nico Salva. But after Season 76, what matters is that Golla stayed for one more year, and took up the difficult task that was expected of him. He showed that he can contribute to this team not only inside the paint, but even six or seven feet outside of it, knocking down jumpers every now and then. He also surprised some Blue Eagles fans by finishing some good plays set up by Kiefer Ravena or Ryan Buenafe to him, being on the receiving end of crazy passes on the inside. In the end, the Blue Eagles can only be thankful that in a year wherein the team is searching for a big man, at least they found one in Golla.

JP Erram

Season 76 statline: 4.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 0.4apg, 0.1spg, 1.0bpg, 13.9mpg

During the Finals of Season 76, then-Coach Norman Black took the risk of fielding a rookie to man the fort. Blue Eagle fans have seen him as the second coming of Nonoy Baclao during the preseason, but no one expected him to log minutes on a playoff game. Fortunately, the risk paid off, as the Blue Eagles have found a secret weapon in Erram, as a go-to guy when the team needs to have a big man stretch defenses on the offensive end while preventing point in the paint on the defensive end.

Erram's career was already on track to replace Greg Slaughter in the five spot, but was sidetracked when his ACL was injured last Season 75. Since then, the former volleyball player from Ateneo de Cagayan was relegated to s bench role, replacing Golla. But despite being in such position, he did not fail to deliver when logging minutes, as he was remembered to be on the receiving end of junior Blue Eagle Von Pessumal's passes from the inside, as well as shooting midrange jumpers. The Blue Eagles could have gotten more from him had he not gotten injured, but his effort has been more than enough and commendable in his four years of stay in the team.

Juami Tiongson

Season 76 statline: 10.9ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.2apg, 0.7spg, 0.1bpg, 26.7mpg

Before entering the college ranks, Tiongson was one of the Blue Eagles' prolific scorers, being a three point specialist who can also penetrate and score off ceiling-high floaters. However, in the seniors'division, he had to wait for a few more years before he can show the Blue Eagles just exactly what he can do.

Tiongson started out in Season 74, relieving for point guard Emman Monfort as court general (or sometimes on the two spot as replacement for Kiefer Ravena), and he did not disappoint, showing his skills more on the offensive end. Season 75, however, was his baptism of fire, as he started alongside Ravena on the backcourt. And during that season, he showed that his stint as a Blue Eaglet star is not just about him scoring, but also taking the helm as a court general.

Ryan Buenafe

Season 76 statline: 11.1ppg, 8.2rpg, 3.3apg, 1.4spg, 0.7bpg, 29.9mpg

Once in a while, the Blue Eagles had players that make a big difference in the game and have become signposts of success. During the early 2000's there was Larry Fonacier, who shot triple after triple after triple en route to big victories. A little further on, we have L.A. Tenorio, the ferocious court general who not only leads offensive assaults with crazy dribbles and passes, but also with surprise triples and drives. This generation of the Blue Eagles has another one of those icons, which came in the person of Ryan Buenafe.

If "clutch" couldn't appropriately describe Buenafe in his past five years of playing for the Blue Eagles (Seasons 71-73, 75 and 76), maybe this video will:


Buenafe was one of the rookies that the Blue Eagle fans of Season 70 have been waiting for, as early as the time when the team lost to the Green Archers during their Final Four semifinal match. And when Season 71 began, he did not disappoint. Every chance for him to score or assist is always a thing of beauty, for he finishes either with a crazy pass to a cutting teammate, a wild kick-out to a sure triple, or an acrobatic layup that frequently leads to an and-one. His biggest moment came in Season 73, when in the dying minutes of the second Finals match against FEU, he sank an elbow triple, one of his few successful attempts, that sealed not only the victory against the Tamaraws, but also the pivotal third straight championship.

But besides that, he was everything but an efficient scorer. He does not post wild statistical figures (the best for this season being his near triple-double against the Adamson Falcons in Round 1), but everything he does on the court matter a lot, from those crucial passes and attempts at fadeaway jumpers to the gestures or short verbal jabs that he makes against his opponents. That is why those who root for other teams in the UAAP hate his antics so much inasmuch as those in blue loves the way he slings them (which had some followers of the league saying, Ok naman ang Ateneo, si Buenafe lang talaga eh).

In a league that has gone to be friendlier, with rivalries gone softer (with how stars Kiefer Ravena, Jeron Teng, and Kevin Ferrer talk to each other on Twitter), the whole Blue Eagles team remained to play a "gentlemanly" kind of basketball... well, except maybe for Buenafe. This guy knows how to mess with the opponents' psyche (ask the Tengs, or Kevin Ferrer, or Almond Vosotros), but more than that, he has gestures that pump up the Sixth Man. It could have started with Season 73, when he raised his jersey up high to show the whole Araneta Coliseum who rightfully owns the UAAP championship. After his Season 74 break, he went back with his antics, even sporting some hair day while putting a gesture after sinking a three. And in Season 76, he remains the hope for the Blue and White, as he also makes a weird sign of the cross gesture, but this time with three fingers out and ending with what resembles to be a throat-slash.

All of these is what made Ryan Buenafe what he is, and Ateneo basketball will have to wait for a few more years, decades even, to have someone like him to don the blue and white.

Pics from Fabilioh.com Facebook page, Stats from pba-online.net.

6 Points: AdMU vs. UST (Round 2)

Ateneo 74, Sto. Tomas 82
Growling Tigers eliminate the Blue Eagles out of Final Four Contention

The fourteen year streak has ended. In a nearly dominating fashion, the Growling Tigers have finally put away all hopes for the Blue Eagles to get six straight championships for the men's basketball tournament in the UAAP. It was at least their own version of getting revenge against the Blue Eagles, who have deprived them of a championship last Season 75, even sealing another victory during this season's first round. They have mounted a lead as large as 18, and despite the Blue Eagles threatening to snag the win, Jeric Teng and Tata Bautista have held the fort and built another huge lead in the fourth which, unfortunately for the fans in blue, was never overcome. And with the Blue Eagles out of the Final Four, this is the first time in fourteen years that they have not entered the postseason, which is the longest run during the past two decades.

Players to mark: Chris Newsome and Juami Tiongson. Newsome's three fouls early in the first quarted limited him to only 21 minutes of play, making life difficult for the Blue Eagles to defend the paint and thus fall down into a double-digit hole during the first half. But with the way he played in the second half (not only in the big Blue Eagle run that had the Blue Eagles hold on to the lead for at least five minutes, but also in the final minutes of catch-up basketball), it would be safe to assume that the game could have gone otherwise had he not been limited by his fouls. In this game, he had 13 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, a block, and a turnover, all in just 21 minutes. What is amazing is that Newsome averages 30 minutes a game, and he pretty much reached his game averages (13.1ppg, 8.6rpg, 2.6apg, 0.6spg, 0.5bpg, 2.6TOpg). Moreover, his presence on the court makes life difficult for the UST's frontcourt guys.

But one major disappointment at this game would be Juami Tiongson, who fell flat compared to his season averages. During the last 13 games, Tiongson was the Blue Eagles' fourth best scorer with 10.9ppg, making at least 3 triples a game. However, during the most important moment of his career, he was not able to duplicate his previous performances as he ended up with just 2 points, 3 rebounds, a dime and a swipe, coupled with two turnovers. Tiongson became the missing link in this game in the absence of Newsome, as he was not able to make the shots that he normally takes, especially those corner and elbow threes that could have made a big difference.

Some final remarks on Kiefer Ravena and the Last Buenagame. The Phenom ended his third year of college basketball, perhaps his worst so far since he started to play for the Blue and White, with 20 big points, leading the Blue Eagles in this game. However, despite being Ateneo's top scorer in this game, he was not able to (virtually) single-handedly lead the Blue Eagles to win in their most important game. Not only did he miss crucial free throws in the final minutes (both attempts at the charity stripe that could have trimmed further the six-point lead that the Growling Tigers have during the last few minutes of the game), but he also served as the tail-end of bad miscues. This last game he had might have been a salvation of sorts, as he ended up with only 3 points and out of the game (ejected with five fouls) in the Blue Eagles' bout against NU; but then, however good this game could be for him, it did not translate into win.

And regarding Ravena's over-all performance this season, two things can be brought up. First, his ankle injury cost him a lot, not only in terms of missing three crucial games during the beginning of the eliminations, but also in terms of his overall performance. Ravena was not his own, dominating self during this season, as he posed different highs (in scoring and rebounding) and lows (free throw shooting) this season. And related to this is the second, the fact that he did not live up that much to the expectations that he can carry this team (at least for this season), having Newsome and Ryan Buenafe on his side. One could justify that the lack of big men also hindered Ravena's output this season, but even with that fact, it should not have decline not that much. But then, expect Ravena to come back hungrier and stronger next season as he enters his final two playing years.

And Ryan Buenafe? The whole UAAP will miss him so much; however, his game did not turn out that big during his last game, with little results yielded by maximum effort. Those 9 points and 7 rebounds (3 of 13 from the field) were undoubtedly big, but he could have done definitely more, despite the fact that it's not far from his 11-point, 8-rebound average. However, this does not discount the fact that he's the best clutch player that the Blue Eagles have seen during the past few years, and he has it all to make it big in the PBA, moreso if he continues to improve his versatile game.

Karim-ed Down. Two statlines to show how Karim Abdul became a big factor in the Growling Tigers' win:

A: 25 pts, 11/18 FG, 9 rebs
B: 17 pts, 7/25 FG, 11 rebs

Statline A is Karim Abdul's, which shows that Pido Jarencio's plan in the first half to dump the ball on him on the low post pretty much worked against the Blue Eagles. This is perhaps Abdul's biggest game in the eliminations, affirming the fact that he is the fulcrum of the Growling Tigers' offense, because without him, Jeric Teng or Clark Bautista or even Kevin Ferrer can't even get to their sweet spots.

And Statline B? That was Frank Golla, JP Erram, and Buenafe's statline. Without Newsome, the Blue Eagles' frontcourt could not do anything against Abdul, either giving up duty fouls or just letting him score from the inside. What happened in this game is nothing but a summary of the Blue Eagles' defense without a big man to anchor and hold the fort down. Yes, it is true that they were able to somehow contain a lot of big men in the league this season (Charles Mammie, Anthony Hargrove, and all the towering combinations that DLSU gave them); however, this did not happen tonight. If the Blue Eagles would want to get that crown back in the next season, they have to get themselves a big man. News is the team already chose to ride the waves, getting and training an African center to do the dirty job alongside transferee Ponso Gotladera. If that is the case, then things are going to be interesting insofar as Season 77 is concerned.

The game of triples. What I'm talking about is not the total triples that both teams make (Ateneo made 7 of their 22 attempts, while UST had 4 of 19), but it is the three triples early in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for the Growling Tigers. Clark Bautista made two corner threes without a man to defend him, and Jeric Teng, in his best game since returning from his shoulder injury (17 markers and 9 boards), got one via a stop-and-pop move. Had the Blue Eagles stopped at least one of those triples, then it might still be possible to salvage the game and snag that last Final Four slot. Again, it's brought about by the difficulty of not having a big man, as they put too much pressure on Abdul but giving up opportunities from the outside. Credit, though, goes to the Growing Tigers for having taken advantage of this the whole game long.

Endgame remarks. In all struggles and defeats, new things are learned. I cannot but stress the fact that the Blue Eagles have to get a big man quick, especially now that, alongside Tiongson and Buenafe, Golla and Erram would be leaving the Blue and White as well. But besides the point, a lot of players have improved by necessity, especially Nico Elorde who has stepped up in the last three games of the Blue Eagles with his shooting (of all things) and gutsy rebounding. We also have seen what Vince Tolentino as a stretch four can do, and perhaps we'll see better things once legitimate big men will run alongside him. We have not yet seen how Anton Asistio and Earl Murphy can fully do, but there is hope for these men. With this, the Blue Eagles do not have anything to do but look forward to the next season.

The Scores:

Ateneo 74 - Ravena 20, Newsome 13, Elorde 12, Buenafe 9, Pessumal 8, Golla 4, Erram 4, Tolentino 2, Tiongson 2, Capacio 0

UST 82 - Abdul 25, Teng 17, Daquioag 13, Ferrer 10, Mariano 7, Bautista 6, Sheriff 4, Pe 0, Lo 0, Lao 0

Quarter scores: 14-25, 26-39, 51-52, 74-82

Credits to PBA-online.com for the statistics, Fabilioh for the picture, and GMA Online for the box.

6 Points: AdMU vs. DLSU (Round 2)

Ateneo 64, De La Salle 66

Sweeps have the same situations. Remember the first round battle against the Green Archers? The Blue Eagles had a big lead in the middle of the third quarter, when the Green Archers had a big run before its end, only to have the Blue Eagles scampering for a decent basket in the fourth quarter. This time, while the Blue Eagles nursed a 1-point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter, Almond Vosotros hit an elbow three and then went for a fastbreak layup after an Arnold Van Opstal swat. This happened in the last three minutes, and since then, the Blue Eagles struggled to tie the game and once more bring the lead back to the blue side. It was a lucky moment as the Blue Eagles went on a late 6-1 run to tie the game at 64 apiece, but then it was Jeron Teng and thus the Green Archers who had the last laugh as he hit the go-ahead jumper over Chris Newsome with just a few seconds remaining.

Jeron Teng and Kiefer Ravena. To raise my point, I'm going to go Bill Simmons on this one. Look at these endgame stats from two players:

Player A: 34 minutes, 12 pts (4/13 FG, 1/6 3FG, 3/8 FT), 2 rebs, 1 asst, 1 stl, 5 TOs, 2PF
Player B: 21 minutes, 8 pts (2/5 FG, 0/1 3FG, 4/9 FT), 1 reb, 1 blk, 2 TOs, 4PF

Obviously, Player A has been on the court for about 80% of the whole game (in fact that is more or less his average usage rate), while Player B has been hounded by foul trouble. However, both of these players have practically the same statistics, and I could go so far as to conclude that player B is some kind of energy backup just in case shots weren't falling for those whom he should substitute with. While Player A? That was a really really bad game.

Unfortunately, Player A's statline was Kiefer Ravena's. Fans in blue expected him to make the difference this time, being absent from the Blue Eagles' first round match against the Green Archers. However, nothing went really well from him, especially in the fourth quarter. Sure, he hit a shot clock beating triple (more out of luck than skill, I suppose), but he did commit a multitude of mistakes that he could have easily avoided. For one, there is his dismal free throw, that's even worse than his average (37.5% compared to his 52% average). He airballed some threes, most of them shot clock beaters (why were we even forced there in the first place?), and made 2 turnovers that were big for DLSU: the first one happened at the end of the first quarter, when he cost the Blue Eagles a turnover, leading to a Vosotros triple (lemme call that by its name, Vosotres) that trimmed the lead down to two, while the second one led to another Vosotres that gave the Green Archers the lead for good early in the fourth quarter. Simply put, the Phenom is not himself in this game, save for that game tying jumper that went before that Teng clutch basket.

And speaking of Jeron Teng, he came out glorious by the end of the buzzer as he sinks his usual jumper over Chris Newsome, keeping his team practically safe at the number three spot. Prior to that, he splits his FTs that made it a one-possession game, and in that short stretch the game was all his. This is not to say that Teng is now as good as Ravena (at least at this point in their college careers); however, it would seem more that Ravena went down to Teng's level (case in point: Ravena's true shooting for this game was at just 36.3%, while Teng has 44.6%). Fans in green have jeered at Teng all season long because of his bad decisions on the court especially during isolation plays as well as his awful free throw shooting, while Ravena was hailed by the fans in blue for his impact on the court. But guess what, things have come down to the same level, or even turned around at least just this once. While Ravena has been slumping in this game, Teng came out as the eventual hero who saved DLSU and granted them the sweep.

Nico Elorde's wasted effort. Nico Elorde brought out his best game today against his former school, and boy, did he really turn out to be efficient in this game. The former Green Archer tallied 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting, with 3 out of 5 triples to boot, together with 4 boards, 3 dimes, and 1 steal. Elorde came up big in the first half as he makes one triple after another, not to mention his gutsy layups, stills, and offensive rebounds spread all over. Sadly, it wasn't enough as the Blue Eagles lost, but it could easily have been Elorde who was there during the rest of the fourth quarter to replace the slumping Ravena.



The things that the Blue Eagles missed. So what did the Blue Eagles forget in this game? Here are a few points:

• They forgot the fact that what will decide this game are eventually the big men... and their performance on both ends of the floor. Frank Golla, JP Erram, Vince Tolentino, and Ivan Enriquez gave up 23 points to the DLSU big men Arnold van Opstal (4), Norbert Torres (6), and most especially Jason Perkins (13), while only scoring 4 points (a basket apiece from Golla and Erram). One could readily forgive those backcourt points scored considering that the offense have been coming from the small forwards forced to play big (Buenafe and Newsome had 8 and 9, respectively); however, too much offensive pressure from the DLSU bigs (together with the non-calls, which will come later) allowed LA Revilla and Teng to slash their way inside (Revilla was 4 of 7 inside and ended up with 11 points). 
• They forgot that they cannot just run fastbreak sets, and half court plays are of utmost necessity against DLSU. Notice that when the Blue Eagles go for a rebound, the Green Archers would rather give it up and run to set their defense. If that is the case, then they should have more half court sets that have Ravena, Buenafe, and Nesome scoring on the inside, while Tiongson or Elorde would be responsible in receiving kickouts. Instead, we got pretty bad perimeter shots from Ravena and Buenafe, more like failed desperation attempts to score. I'm not saying that this has always been the case, because we have seen flashes of brilliance on the offense, lots of it even; however, they could have run different sets with same finishes (obviously, because the Blue Eagles are running Hawks and Horns sets that have the same initial moves) in those last five minutes.
• They forgot that despite not having Ravena, they could have just used Chris Newsome as the primary shot creator. The second round Newsome was far from the 27-point bomb that struck fear in the hearts of Lasallians during the first round. Instead, what we got is still a decent 8-point, 8-rebound forward who settled well with setting up plays for the guards. Had Newsome been activated as the first option in the last few minutes, then I think this game could have been saved.

If the Blue Eagles would want to win the next 3 games, make it into the Final Four, and get four more without losing one in the semifinals, then they have to relish this moment and learn a lot from this loss. It is unfortunate that they do not have big men strong and skillful enough to counter DLSU's (the past two years, we had Slaughter, the year before that Justin Chua, and Rabeh Al-Hussaini as well as Nonoy Baclao for Seasons 71 and 72), but more is expected from their Big Three plus one of Ravena, Newsome, Buenafe, and Tiongson. And the team needs them more than ever if they still consider winning a sixth straight championship a real possibility.

That Bo Perasol Technical. Let's review the sequence that led to that foul called on Coach Bo Perasol:

• Ryan Buenafe drove to the basket and was pushed and elbow on his way. No foul called.
• Jason Perkins scrambles for the rebound and was supposedly fouled as he got the board.
• As the referee whistled, Perkins elbowed someone from behind him.

Whether it's the non-call or the second motion that has been the reason, one can see why Coach Perasol has the right to be furious; however, it just happened that the referees deemed it as crossing the line and therefore the T. Would it be rightfully so? You be the judge, but insofar as these events happened, it might be even more proper to call an additional unsportsmanlike foul on Perkins on that sequence, and then grant the possession to DLSU because of the foul in the rebound.

What It Means to the Final Four campaign. This definitely makes everything more difficult, now that the Blue Eagles slide to 6-5, tied with UST and half a game behind UE (who will play DLSU on the 4 September without Charles Mammie and Ralf Olivares). Given that, these are the things that the Blue Eagles should do:

• First off, they have to eliminate those with whom they are tied up against, namely UST and (possibly) UE (but with a margin greater than or equal to four points). Doing so would secure them the four-spot despite having the same standings at the end of eliminations.
• It would even be helpful if DLSU sweeps the second round, because it would give extra losses to UE, UST, and possibly NU.
• One more imperative: BEAT NU. The Blue Eagles cannot afford another loss (unless UST and UE will be handed other losses). Once this is done, the fourth spot is for the Blue Eagles, and they might face either NU or DLSU.

The Scores:

La Salle 66 - Vosotros 19, Perkins 13, Revilla 11, Teng 8, Torres 6, Van Opstal 4, Montalbo 3, Salem 2, Tapus 0, Reyes 0, Dela Paz 0, Bolick 0

Ateneo 64 - Tiongson 14, Elorde 13, Ravena 12, Buenafe 9, Newsome , Pessumal 4, Golla 2, Erram 2, Tolentino 0, Enriquez 0, Capacio 0


Quarter scoring: 13-16, 31-33, 46-49, 66-64

Credits to the Fabilioh Facebook page for the photo and GMA Online for the box

6 Points: AdMU vs. UST (Round 1)

Ateneo 61, Sto. Tomas 57

-The Blue Eagles' offense seemed to be a two-headed hydra in their final game in the first round of the eliminations. On one hand, they have brought out all their weapons on the first half, pouncing quickly on the Growling Tigers and taking advantage of their shaky start. However, things seem to have fallen apart during the final minutes of the game, when they allowed the Tigers to bounce back. Fortunately, key baskets by Ryan Buenafe, Chris Newsome, and Kiefer Ravena put the game at a considerable distance during the final minutes, enough to bring them to the Blue Eagles' third win for this season, ending the first round on a strong note.

-It really is not a good time for Ryan Buenafe to have an awful shooting night, but it did not stop him from having a good game by delivering late in the game and at the same time providing opportunities for his teammates to finish strong. He scored just 9 points, but provided the big plays late in the game to keep Ateneo afloat, including that huge triple and an easy layup from the backdoor with barely a few minutes left in the game. With Kiefer Ravena almost fully functional now, one can see how dangerous it will be for Buenafe to lead the team alongside Ravena and Newsome. All of them are active playmakers, shot-creators, and reliable clutch scorers, and when the going gets tough, this unholy trifecta can frustrate last-minute defensive plans and comeback attempts by opponents, as seen in this game.

-Another Newsome dunk with Karim Abdul trying to block it made this game a lot, lot better.


-It's quite surprising that the Blue Eagles have missed their free throws in the final minutes, making just about less than half of their charities in the final minutes. Had Ravena, Newsome, Frank Golla, and Nico Elorde were perfect from the line during the final stretch, then the heart attack situation could have been avoided. Fortunately, Kevin Ferrer and Ed Daquioag missed their game-tying threes, thus preventing an extra period for the game. The Blue Eagles should remember that as a team that scores with attacks and backdoor plays from the inside, making free throws is a must.

-This game not only marks the first time that the Blue Eagles actually have a winning streak, but also shows that it is possible for the Blue Eagles to manage the lead and take advantage of situations when the opponent is caught offhanded. The team jumped to a 15-point lead early, but the Growling Tigers were quick to respond and eventually trimmed the lead down in the final minutes; however, the Blue Eagles' offense has always been quick to respond, averting big runs and eventually the possibilities of UST to make a comeback. Another thing to notice here is that the Blue Eagles' team defense has been effective against Karim Abdul, who only scored six points in the game; however, what needs to be improved (especially in playing all other teams that have really tall African imports) is when to switch just in time to contest triples.

-Even with the absence of Jeric Teng (out with a shoulder injury), the Growling Tigers lived up to their name as comeback kids, and remain to be one of the most dangerous teams in the UAAP. Aljon Mariano clearly isn't in his 100% (having sprained the ankle that was previously fractured), but his 16 markers came from big baskets that prevented UST from being left behind. Clark Bautista established his reputation as an off-ball player from behind the arc, as he drained one after the other to keep the game close. But among them, it was Ed Daquioag and Kevin Ferrer who stepped up as the role players. While the former surprised the Blue Eagles with quick baskets of his own, the latter has been an all-around player for this game, taking responsibility for grabbing the boards, creating shot opportunities for himself and his teammates, and even shooting when demanded of him. However, it's too bad that these two failed to make the right plays at the right time. But rest assured, the game between the Blue Eagles and the Growling Tigers are going to be much more exciting once both reached their highest points and at 100 percent.

The Scores:

Ateneo 61 - Ravena 13, Newsome 10, Buenafe 9, Tiongson 9, Golla 8, Capacio 4, Pessumal 3, Tolentino 2, Erram 2, Elorde 1

UST 57 - Mariano 16, Daquioag 12, Bautista 11, Ferrer 9, Abdul 6, Lo 3, So 0, Pe 0, Hainga 0

Quarterscores: 19-6, 27-21, 47-39, 61-57

Credits to the Fabilioh Facebook page for the photo and GMA News Online for the box.

6 Points: AdMU vs. NU (Round 1)

Ateneo 54, National U 64

-If the bunch of new faces, the coach included, are already matters to be concerned about as five-time champions, then having the Blue Eagles' star player and number one option out of opening day just made things way worse than before. It is true that during the Fil-Oil Preseason Tournament, the Blue Eagles seem to run like a well-oiled machine, coping with Coach Bo Perasol's system and keeping up despite the lack of a legitimate big man (especially now that six of the other seven teams made use of foreign players to take care of the paint). However, the UAAP is different, and with Kiefer Ravena out (but eventually played almost-useless minutes in the first half), the Blue Eagles were forced to make game-time adjustments. And faced against an experienced basketball team that hungrily wants desires revenge, Ateneo ended up relying on their gutsy effort to at least eke out a decent loss after having been left behind as early as the third quarter.

-One glaring fact is that Ateneo missed 52 of their 72 shots in the game, most of them from the outside, not just a clear effect of Ravena's absence, but the dismal shooting effort of the supposed snipers of the team (Tiongson, Pessumal, et al., not to mention that rookies Anton Asistio and Earl Murphy have not played). The team has missed a lot of open three-point shots that, had they made three or four more, could have made this a close game. Except a few mishaps in the paint as well as the failure to give up offensive boards, one could point that the Blue Eagles have played relatively good defense, as they were able to contain NU's perimeter shooters (but unfortunately at the expense of having Jean Mbe torch the team from the inside and Denice Villamor getting good looks from beyond the arc) and gave Rayray Parks a hard time driving down the lane. However, it could have been better had the offense been present.

-During the first quarter, the Blue Eagles just trailed the Bulldogs by 2 points, and by halftime, it blew to 12. Everyone was expecting the famous "third quarter storm" to happen, but unfortunately, it turned to a nightmare as the team experienced everything going really bad: they were missing shots, turned the ball over, and gave space for NU's offense to operate.The lead then went as big as 16 in the third, and even got to 24 in the fourth. It's quite unfortunate that Nico Elorde and Juami Tiongson found their touch beyond the arc at an inopportune time, just when the Bulldogs would almost seal the win. Hopefully, adjustments on offense would come up, whether Ravena would be there or not. The middle quarters was Ateneo's fort to hold during the past two seasons, and it should remain to be despite these changes.

-No doubt, Chris Newsome and Ryan Buenafe were the keys to Ateneo's offense in this game. The former has already shown what he can do: shoot from the outside, sink those perimeter baskets, and own opponents during isolation sets (that dunk Rayray Parks, had it gotten in, could have been poster material); however, it seems that he has not gotten inside the basket too frequently during the second and third quarters, saving those dribble-drives unfortunately in the almost-garbage fourth quarter. Ryan Buenafe, on the other hand, resorted instead to chucking bad threes, perhaps finding it difficult to do his usual drive-and-dish stuff. However, it is clear that alongside Ravena, they will be the Blue Eagles' penetration players, with JP Erram and Frank Golla doing the screens and managing the post. While for the rest, hopefully they can create shots and make themselves available for short stabs and perimeter jumpers to add additional spark. After all, they were able to do it during the Fil-Oil tournament.

-If there's something that can be said about the NU Bulldogs in their first game, it's the fact that they looked to be a dominant bunch. Parks has been in his usual self, while Mbe already had the confidence to man the paint given that no one except Golla or Erram could contain him. The confidence in offense that both of these  directly contributed to the extra effort that their teammates have exerted, among them Villamor and Gelo Alolino. That precisely is the reason why they left Ateneo behind as early as third quarter, and with the Blue Eagles finding a way to a probable upset, Parks hit a three to silence the Sixth Men, which is perhaps a statement that the league will soon be their own.

-With the FEU Tamaraws waiting for the next game, the Blue Eagles have a day or two to do serious adjustments and let Ravena recover. A lot of glaring mishaps and rooms for improvement have already been brought out in the first game, and it would be interesting to see how Coach Perasol would respond to these.

The Scores:

NU 64 - Parks 22, Mbe 14, Villamor 13, Javillonar  5, Alolino 4, Rosario 2, Khobuntin 2, Alejandro 2, Rono 0, De Guzman 0

Ateneo 54 - Tiongson 13, Elorde 10, Buenafe 10, Newsome 9, Erram 4, Ravena 2, Pessumal 2, Golla 2, Capacio 2, Tolentino 0, Babilonia 0


Quarter scores: 15-10, 33-21, 48-32, 64-54

Credits to the Fil-Oil Flying V Facebook Page for the pic, GMA Sports for the box.

Game Notes: AdMU vs. DLSU (2013 Fil-Oil Flying V Preseason Tournament)

Ateneo 78, De La Salle 70

-As preseason games have always been, this Fil-Oil game does not even reveal anything about the performance of both teams when the 76th Season of the UAAP comes. Clearly, the Blue Eagles are not even at their tournament form, having 5 or so players recovering from an injury (with big man Kris Porter unfortunately out for the season). And while DLSU have all the talent in their favor, playing with a "complete" roster sans playmaker L.A. Revilla, it's evident that they are far from being the perfect team that fans in green expected them to be. But this is a fair way of putting the talents of both teams against each other, considering that while the Green Archers have been stockpiling talents ever since the end of Season 75, the Blue Eagles, fresh from their fifth straight championship, start things again with a new coach and a relatively new team. This time, the Blue Eagles finally won against their rivals in the preseason tournament, after not having done so in the past four years (and managing to snag the UAAP championship later on... is there a coincidence? If so, what does this win tell?).

-Kiefer Ravena might just as well take the name "King Eagle" and own it for the next three years of his basketball career. With a quite scattered offense in a game where the blue eagles played open court offense, Ravena found his sweet spots, posted his defenders, and shoot deadly shake-and-bake fadeaway Js en route to 31 big points. And in a new team that needs its old members to step up and play big, he might just be the man that the Blue Eagles would need in the long season ahead. After all, it's about time for him to relive the Blue Eaglets days and carry the team on his back.

-Fifth year big man Frank Golla came out as a revelation in this game, as he was able to nail midrange jumper after midrange jumper, ending up with 14 big points on 7 of 9 field goal shooting. In the past four years of Golla's career with the Blue Eagles save for the 2010 season, he has played with talented bigs and has only ended up with a minor bench role. But now that the team needs someone big and tall to do the dirty job in the paint, the fifth year forward/center has stepped up and played smart basketball. He drew hard picks, rolled to the elbow, position on the top of the key, and nail easy jumpers. This came out quite late, but at least the Blue Eagles have someone other than Poy Erram to not only slug it out in the boards but also come out big on offense.

-This game also shows how the Green Archers are still "unprepared," despite the plethora of talent that they have. Having taller players, Coach Gee Abanilla could have set the offense up from the high and low post, but they opted to settle for kick outs and quick jumpers courtesy of gunner Almond Vosotros, because Jason Perkins, Arnold Van Opstal, and even Jeron Teng cannot (surprisingly) convert easy baskets from a small but quick Ateneo lineup. They also have turned the ball over several times, especially when trying to bring the ball down low, not to mention that a backcourt squad with considerable height advantage (think Robert Bolick) could not match up with Ateneo's small ball. And with their shots clanking in and out only to result in an easy Ateneo basket, it seems that it was a very unfortunate day for the Gang Green, and would need serious readjustments entering into the UAAP season.

-After this win against the Green Archers, the Blue Eagles have opted to pull out of the Fil-Oil Preseason Tournament, citing injuries as reasons for them to discontinue. And perhaps it is just fair for the Blue Eagles to do just that, considering that they already had a quick dose of what Season 76 will offer to them, including their training at the States. After all, the most important games would not come until the 29th of June, once the new season opens.

The Scores:

Ateneo 78 – Ravena 31, Tiongson 15, Golla 12, Asistio 6, Tolentino 5, Newsome 4, Elorde 3, Buenafe 2, Murphy 0, Lim 0

De La Salle 70 – Perkins 15, Vosotros 14, Teng 14, Torres 9, Van Opstal 9, Torres 7, Dela Paz 2, Bolick 0, Tampus 0, Salem 0


Quarter scoring: 24-15, 42-33, 63-51, 78-70

Credits to the Fil-Oil Flying V Facebook page for the photo and GMANetwork.com for the box.

6 Points: AdMU vs. NU (Round 2)

Ateneo 61, National U 39

-The thirteenth game of the Blue Eagles did have some elements of bad luck in it, part of which includes poor outside shooting. However, luck did not even play a big factor in this game. Instead it was their trademark defense that got them going in the second half against the Bulldogs, who were now done for the season and could pack their bags after their fourteenth game. By the way, this season's Blue Eagles made another entry into the record books by allowing the fewest recorded points since 2004.

-Nico Salva truly became a dominant force this season, and this game was not an exception. He tallied 14 big points, as one of the four Blue Eagles who scored in double digits, which includes one of the three dunks in the game (one was from Slaughter, while the other, albeit missed, was by Bobby Ray Parks who was seen limping after the failed feat). Evidently, Salva already got his game going, and if this continues, then the Blue Eagles will be more dangerous entering the last game of the season.

-The Blue Eagles made explicit the key to beat the Bulldogs: clamp down Parks and Mbe, and the game is yours. Kirk Long showed how he can play defense, as he used his speed and athleticism to neutralize Parks, a twenty-something scorer who only had 10 markers that day. Also, Greg Slaughter and Frank Golla (who recovered from a mild sprain that hindered him from playing against UP) took turns defending Emmanuel Mbe, who settled for throw-ups rather than clean jumpers and lay ups and ending up with 10 points as well.

-Surprisingly, coupled with bad luck, the Blue Eagles found themselves in a tight game during the first half, even having consecutive turnovers from each team as if they were passing the balls to their opponents. But come second half, the boys did what Coach Norman Black usually tells them: play their D, and let the offense take care of itself. And it turned out to be effective for the Blue Eagles, who unofficially ended the game by the end of the third quarter, after Kiefer Ravena's buzzer beating trey.

-Bad luck struck the Ateneo bench in terms of offense, with only Golla and Tonino Gonzaga scoring for them, tallying 10 points together. The rest, however, which includes Justin Chua (who has been scoring big prior to this game) were firing blanks. But then, the role of the bench right now is to keep the game going while the starters rest, so it may not be totally bad for the Blue Eagles.

-Perhaps this game is an indicator that the Blue Eagles are really in a good place right now to grab that sweep and hence an easy Finals ticket. With such defensive dominance and an offense that clicks at the right time, it would be certain that they will pounce on Adamson quickly and extend the streak to 29. Thus, the more important question: will it be the usual knockout Final 4 game, or a stepladder match?

The scores:

Ateneo 61 – Salva 14, Slaughter 13, Ravena 12, Long 10, Gonzaga 6, Golla 4, Monfort 2, Tiongson 0, Sumalinog 0, Chua 0, Austria 0

NU 39 – Parks 10, Mbe 10, Javillonar 9, Alolino 4, Ignacio 4, Neypes 2, Villamor 0, Roño 0, Celiz 0, Khobuntin 0, Terso 0

Quarter scoring: 12-11, 26-19, 48-27, 61-39

Credits to Fabilioh.com for the pic, and Inboundpass for the box scores.