IN A game featuring two of the best defenses in the UAAP, the Ateneo Blue Eagles put on a defensive clinic, locking down the National University Bulldogs, 69-49 on August 19 at the Araneta Coliseum. The Blue Eagles were sharp defensively from start to finish, holding the Bulldogs to a UAAP season-low total and completed a season sweep after thrashing the Bulldogs by 17 in their first round encounter.
The Bulldogs kept themselves in the game early by sharing the ball, with four different players score each of their first four baskets, capped by Melvin Baloran’s jumper which gave the Bulldogs an 8-6 lead. Ateneo responded with a dominating 14-5 run to close the quarter dissecting the NU defense with timely penetration and crisp passes. Ateneo center Justin Chua continued his streak of dominant first quarters by scoring 10, marking the third consecutive game in which he has topped the 8 point mark in the opening period.
The second quarter did not offer the Bulldogs any reprieve as the Blue Eagles’ second unit struck immediately, scoring eight unanswered points highlighted by a pair of three pointers from Juami Tiongson and Emman Monfort.
Ateneo’s strong defensive stand was matched with an equal commitment to crashing the glass denying the Bulldogs second chance points in the first two quarters. Eric Salamat’s fast break lay-up helped the Blue Eagles double up on NU, 40-20 with 1:52 remaining. The Eagles took a 17 point lead into the break after a triple by NU’s Joseph Terso in the dying seconds of the half.
The NU Bulldogs spent the majority of the third quarter chipping away at the Ateneo lead, picking off passes and getting out of the break. The lead proved to be too much for the Manila based cagers as the closest they would get was 12 with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Blue Eagles responded by scoring seven unanswered points, effectively putting the game out of reach.
With questionable calls going the way of Emmanuel Mbe—who was granted 10 free throws in the final quarter alone, the officiating drew ire from the Ateneo crowd. However, the Cameroon native was unable to take advantage, shooting a dismal 5 of 12 from the line.
When asked to comment on the team’s defensive performance, Coach Norman Black said,
“That is really our calling card. That’s the reason we’ve been winning the last few years. Even though we don’t have the presence of Rabbeh and Nonoy we play great team defense. The last game [against NU] we had to switch to a zone defense for a while but this time we didn’t really need to.”
Looking forward to their next game against archrival La-Salle on August 22 (Sunday) 5pm at the Araneta Coliseum, the Ateneo coach said, “Both teams have kind of gone under the radar. The focus of the UAAP so far has been FEU and Adamson. La Salle has been playing good basketball. It should be a good game”
Ateneo 69 – Buenafe 14, Chua 10, Monfort 9, Salva 7, dela Cruz 6, Salamat 6, Long 6, Golla 4, de Chavez 4, Tiongson 3, Escueta 0, Erram 0, Balmaceda 0, Gonzaga 0, Austria 0.
NU 49 – Mbe 13, Ponferrada 12, Hermosisima 7, Terso 6, Baloran 3, Ludovice 2, Javillonar 2, Ignacio 2, Eriobu 2, Tungcul 0, Singh 0, Malanday 0, Magat 0.
Quarter scores: 20-13, 42-25, 53-36, 69-49.
