Photo by Pia B. Guballa
THE THURSDAY matinee between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the rising National University (NU) Bulldogs was pregnant with expectation.
Many hoped for a match-up between the old guard and a rising team of the future, between the 6’11” Greg Slaughter and Cameroonian Emmanuel Mbe. But above all, many were held with baited breath for an electrifying match-up between prized rookies Bobby Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena.
Save for a quick cross switch-up early in the first quarter, where Parks blew by his Blue Eagle counterpart for a lay-up, the budding rivalry never matriculated on court as the Katipunan side blew out the Bulldogs, 86-62, on the 21st of July at the Araneta Coliseum.
Though the Bulldogs proved to be the scrappier side in the opening minutes of the contest, the Blue Eagles’ staunch defense and an early burst from Nico Salva afforded them a 16-11 lead ten minutes into regulation.
The match-up between Mbe and Slaughter was featured early and often, and the latter’s length and size visibly affected the NU big man, who couldn’t find the basket when matched-up in the post against the much bigger national team player.
NU’s guards came to life in the second quarter and with them came much needed dribble drive offense, allowing Mbe space to cut and finish without having to deal with Slaughter’s length and heft. The NU big man’s lay-up early in the second cut the lead to three, 16-13, and it seemed as though the Bulldogs wouldn’t be taking this one sitting down.
However, that proved to be the closest the Sampaloc-based squad would get for the remainder of the game, as the Blue Eagles, led by the hardnosed defense of Emman Monfort and Oping Sumalinog, began to feed their fast break game which resulted in a 20-5 run to close out the second canto.
The halftime break offered NU no reprieve from the Ateneo attack, as the Blue Eagles’ outside shooters exploited the Bulldogs’ zone defense with corner three-pointers, including four quick triples from Kirk Long and Juami Tiongson. With Tiongson’s buzzer-beating bomb, the Blue and White were up comfortably, 69-37.
The fourth quarter saw Coach Norman Black empty the bench, giving some rookies their first taste of playing time. Much to the delight of the Ateneo crowd, Blue Eaglet standout Von Pessumal and De La Salle Zobel transferee Gwyne Capacio both scored on a free throw and a reverse lay-in respectively.
After being harassed by Kirk Long all game to the tune of eight points through three quarters, Parks finally managed to get on track offensively, scoring 12 points in the final quarter. It must be noted however, that the bulk of Parks’ 20 points came during garbage time.
The Blue Eagles enjoyed a season high 50.8% mark from the field and finally found some shooting rhythm from the outside, hitting six of fifteen attempts from deep. The boys from Loyola Heights were also accredited with assists on 30 of their 32 field goals.
On his defensive game plan against NU’s prized rookie, Norman Black said, “Kirk Long did a very good job on Parks. I don’t think you can stop [Parks] entirely but [Kirk] did a good job slowing him down.”
“I actually go into every game thinking that it will go down to a final basket. I prepare looking at match-ups on who could take that last shot. I never go into a game thinking about blowouts but I’ll take it,” continued Black.
Even with a comfortable rout over one of the league’s most hyped-up teams, the Ateneo mentor is taking everything in stride, keen on preparing aptly before each game.
The Blue Eagles will next face the winless UE Red Warriors, who fell to FEU today, 66-47, at 3:00 PM on Saturday, July 23 at the Araneta Coliseum.
Scoring Leaders:
ADMU, 86: Slaughter 15, Ravena 13, Salva 12, Long 11, Sumalinog 7, Monfort 7, Erram 6, Tiongson 6, Capacio 2, Gonzaga 2, Chua 2, Austria 2, Pessumal 1, Cipriano 0, Estrada 0
NU, 62: Parks 20, Alolino 11, Mbe 10, Celdana 7, Javillonar 6, Celiz 2, Khobuntin 2, Magat 2, Labing-isa 1, Terso 1
Quarter scoring: 16-11, 38-20, 69-37, 86-62
