THE ATENEO Blue Eagles capped off a trying preseason with a 66-55 victory against the San Beda Red Lions, to claim third place in the 2012 FilOil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup at the FilOil Flying V Arena on June 12.
In their previous bout with the San Beda Red Lions on April 22, the team failed to close out in the final two minutes and allowed San Beda to steal victory. This time around, however, the Blue Eagles gave the Red Lions no quarter.
Ateneo’s defense slowed down the Red Lions and forced them to cough up possession. Known to be a defensive-minded team, the Blue Eagles sustained their offense by controlling the boards, 42-35. Rebounds transitioned into fast breaks and scoring opportunities for the four-peat champs. Despite a combined 37-point performance by Jake Pascual, Ola Adeogun and Baser Amer, the Lions were limited to 34% shooting (22 of 65) thanks to Ateneo’s relentless defense.
The trio of J. Pascual, Adeogun and Amer scored 15, 12 and 10 points respectively to lead the Mendiola-based squad, but found themselves playing one-on-one against an entire Blue Eagles team out for payback.
Greg Slaughter shelled out 24 points and collected 11 rebounds while the rest of Ateneo’s 42 points were distributed among Justin Chua, Juami Tiongson, Kiefer Ravena, Nico Salva, Tonino Gonzaga, Nico Elorde, JP Erram and Oping Sumalinog.
Balanced scoring by the Blue Eagles gave them the lead right after tip-off, but J. Pascual’s hot start helped the Lions keep close, 16-12, after the first quarter. Adeogun briefly gave the Red Lions the lead, 17-16, after he sank back-to-back mid-range jumpers near the 7-minute mark of the second quarter. This lead was short-lived, however, as a jumper by Slaughter sparked a 10-2 for Ateneo.
At halftime, the Blue Eagles held a 5-point advantage over the NCAA champs, 28-23.
San Beda threatened to retake the lead from the Blue Eagles in the second half. Both teams traded baskets until four straight points by Rome Dela Rosa and a free throw by K. Pascual brought the Lions two points too close to Ateneo, 35-33, with 4:34 remaining in the third quarter.
Ravena jacked up a three and Chua scored off the pick and roll to increase the lead, 40-36, but Adeogun made both his free throws to bring the lead down to two points again, 40-38, with 2:10 remaining. This was the final hurrah for the Red Lions as good defense and more unselfish play ignited a 9-0 run by Ateneo to end the third period, 49-38.
San Beda was unable to respond to the Ateneo’s firepower and soon found themselves trailing by as much as 14 points, 54-40, with 7:55 left in regulation. Five straight points by Amer cut the lead to nine with 4:30 remaining. Greg Slaughter then charged to score 10 points in the last four minutes to help the Blue Eagles seize the win, 66-55.
The Blue Eagles shot 46% (29 of 63) from the field and had 11 second-chance points and converted 13 points from errors by the Red Lions. Their aggressive offense shackled Adeogun who only played 18 minutes due to foul trouble. Adeogun’s absence for the Red Lions allowed Slaughter and Chua to operate freely in the paint.
The Blue Eagles shared the ball all throughout the game. They constantly made the extra pass and looked for friendlies on the break. Elorde led the team with 4 of Ateneo’s 17 assists. Many of these assists were dished out to Slaughter for an easy two in the paint.
Veteran center Frank Golla did not suit up as he was nursing a sprained left ankle.
“I am glad we came out and got that win today,” said Head Coach Norman Black. “We were pretty slow out there at times, but what’s important is we ended the preseason with this win and without any injuries.” Black commented that the boys played great defense against the Lions and that they will take a much-needed week off from basketball.
“We haven’t practiced in a month,” he shared. “The most we do is meet up for shooting”. Black also pointed out that this was their 8th game in 11 days. “One of our strengths is really during practice because we scout our opponents and prepare for them.” Black was optimistic that the performance of the Blue Eagles will continue to improve as they continue to work on their conditioning.
Slaughter pointed out that still more room for hard work. “We can still improve on playing better as a team.” Like his coach, Slaughter said that the team will be able to address all these points when they return to practice.
Meanwhile, Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga said that the coaching staff views the preseason as a barometer for the team’s progress. “This preseason has shown where the team is right now relative to where we want to be in terms of progress for the UAAP,” said the true Blue Eagle.
Arespacochaga explained that progress does not happen overnight and that teamwork and chemistry is built up through practices and games played together. “There has been much improvement in the individual game of the players,” he said. “Our guards, Juami and Nico [Elorde] have really shown good improvement.”
Furthermore, Arespacochaga said that the team did a good job of looking for the best shots on the offensive end, citing that Slaughter scored 24 points because his teammates looked for him and brought him the ball.
“We may have not won the championship in the preseason, but that wasn’t a guarantee to begin with,” shared Slaughter. “We will just keep working hard.”
Slaughter and Ravena were named as part of the Mythical Five of the FilOil Tournament, along with Norbert Torres from De La Salle and Bobby Ray Parks and Emmanuel Mbe. Mbe was awarded the best defensive player, while Parks was named the most valuable player as NU defeated DLSU in the finals, 64-54, to win the title and cap off a perfect preseason record.
With the UAAP Season 75 opening day a little over a month away, the Blue Eagles are slowly approaching the beginning of a truly challenging season.
Season 75 opens on July 14, Saturday at the MOA Arena. The Blue Eagles will debut the season against the Adamson Falcons on July 15, Sunday, 4pm at the MOA Arena.
Quarter Scores: 16-12, 28-23, 49-38, 66-55
Box Scores:
ADMU = 66: Slaughter – 24, Chua – 8, Tiongson – 7, Ravena – 7, Salva – 6, Gonzaga – 4, Elorde – 4, Erram – 4, Sumalinog – 2, Capacio – 0, Lim – 0, Pessumal – 0, Cipriano – 0, Buenafe – 0, Golla – DNP,
San Beda = 55: Pascual – 15, Adeogun – 12, Baser – 10, Caram – 9, K. Pascual – 5, Dela Rosa – 4, Lim – 0, Koga – 0, Solera – 0, Moralde – 0, Ludovice – 0, Mendoza – 0.
Percentages:
ADMU – 46% FG (29 out of 63); 20% 3pt (2 out of 10); 86% FT (6 out of 7)
San Beda – 34% FG (22 out of 65); 25% 3pt (2 out of 8); 60% FT (9 out of 15)
