Photo by Abram P. Barrameda

IN THEIR first game of the much-awaited UAAP Season 75, the Ateneo Blue Eagles made quite an impression, disposing of the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 73-57, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on July 15.

The last encounter between the two teams in Season 74 saw Adamson end the Blue Eagles’ hopes of a sweep. It was the other way around this time, as the Blue and White started their quest for a five-peat with a dominating performance.

Ateneo’s starting five went on an early 10-2 run in the opening four minutes, which included a Greg Slaughter slam courtesy of an alley-oop from Juami Tiongson. The Falcons, however, refused to back down as Rodney Brondial scored five unanswered points. The Katipunan-based side’s trademark defense quelled Adamson’s advances, but a lack of finishing had both teams in a scoring drought.

The score stagnated for two minutes before Eric Camson got the game back on track. Adamson then slowly cut the deficit, ultimately taking the lead at 16-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams exchanged blows well into the second quarter. As one team scored a basket, another one was converted on the other end. Only during the last three minutes did Ateneo gain a comfortable advantage. Despite this, Adamson once again refused to be buried, as the teams entered the dugouts with the score of 32-28 to the Blue Eagles.

As the second half began, cautious play took over with low scoring coming from both contingents. However, after four minutes had past, Adamson’s defenses faltered and the Blue Eagles capitalized. Ateneo outscored the Ermita-based squad 23-17 in the third quarter. Consequently, the Falcons’ deficit ballooned to double-digits; it was kept that way deep into the quarter until it was cut to eight when the quarter concluded at 53-45.

Both teams continued to test each other out in the final canto. What differed, though, was that Ateneo had already possessed a considerable advantage. Alex Nuyles showed glimpses of his damage-making capabilities but his contributions were not enough. When Adamson’s defenses went lax once again, the Blue Eagles rallied to take the lead to as much as 19. Unlike the first two quarters, the Falcons could not climb their way out of such a lead. Nico Elorde dribbled the ball out to the delight of the Ateneo faithful.

At the conclusion, both teams had similar figures in terms of rebounding and turnovers. That being said, field goal percentage was the deciding factor, as Ateneo converted 44% from the field in comparison to Adamson’s 31%.

Slaughter was named player of the game with a commanding performance, racking up 17 points and 10 rebounds—his first double-double of the season. Nico Salva also contributed 14 points, and Tiongson dished out seven assists. The Falcons did an impressive job containing Kiefer Ravena, but he still tallied nine points and found his teammates for the assist. Despite nursing a sprained ankle, Ryan Buenafe returned after sitting out one season with a six-point performance.

Head coach Norman Black commended his players for the work rate they exhibited. “We haven’t really played too many games since the summer league,” said Black, “so we wanted to find out exactly where we are now as far as performance is concerned.” He also went on to say that defense would be their focal point this season.

Up next for Black and his team are the UST Growling Tigers at 2:00 PM on Thursday, July 19, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Box Scores:

Ateneo – 73: Slaughter 17, Salva 14, Ravena 9, Sumalinog 6, Buenafe 6, Tiongson 5, Erram 5, Chua 4, Gonzaga 3, Golla 2, Elorde 2

Adamson – 57: Brondial 13, Nuyles 12, Camson 10, Cabrera 10, Cruz 4, Monteclaro 3, Trollano 2, Etrone 2, Cabigas 1