Photo by Alexandra L. Huang
PLAYING THEIR second of three games in seven days, the Ateneo Blue Eagles prevailed against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 76-70, on August 2 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
After trailing behind their Katipunan counterparts, the Blue Eagles overtook the Maroons in the second half to improve to 3-1 in the season. Nico Salva exploded for 21 points, Greg Slaughter clocked in 13 while Kiefer Ravena and Oping Sumalinog chipped in 11 and 10 markers, respectively.
Three games into the season, Ateneo has exhibited strong starts that allowed them to lead early. Against the Fighting Maroons, however, the Blue Eagles found themselves trailing against a UP squad hungry for their first win.
Once again, starting center Slaughter found it difficult to find his usual groove as he was constantly bothered by the defense with or without the ball. Additionally, his teammates also found it tough to convert.
On the other hand, the Diliman-based squad showcased the offensive efficiency, building a seven-point lead, 15-8, with 4:25 remaining care of a Henry Asilum three-pointer.
The Blue and White managed to close the gap to 15-12 after Coach Norman Black called a timeout. UP continued to make shots to hold a 19-17 advantage over Ateneo after Justin Chua converted the three-point opportunity to end the first quarter.
The second quarter did not prove to be any better for Black and his team.
Although the Blue Eagles tied the scores on three occasions, they committed uncharacteristic turnovers that allowed UP to extend their lead to 39-30 after five quick points from Asilum and Chris Ball. Free throws from both teams increased the scores to 40-32 in favor of UP at halftime.
Coach Ricky Dandan’s boys extended their lead to 42-32 in the opening minutes of the second half, but Ateneo woke up from their first half stupor.
Bannered by Nico Elorde, Salva and Slaughter, Team Ateneo went on a 7-1 run to bring the lead down to 43-49. Slaughter finally found his rhythm when he was fouled and showed improvement towards the third quarter.
Ateneo’s signature defense also kicked in during the second half, which meant trouble for the Maroons. Veteran swingman Oping Sumalinog drained a three to give Ateneo its first lead, 55-54, with 3:11 in the third quarter. Former Blue Eaglet Mike Gamboa, who scored 7 of his 10 points in the third quarter, would answer back with another three, and from there it would be all Ateneo. Slaughter combined with Salva for six unanswered points to end the third with Ateneo at the lead, 61-57.
Ateneo’s revitalized third quarter performance carried over to a strong start in the final quarter. When Ryan Buenafe sank a tough fade away jumper and a bonus free throw, the Blue Eagles were up 67-58.
UP refused to be buried as Mark Lopez sank his only three of the game to cut their deficit to 67-61. Shortly after, Alvin Padilla hit another three after a Slaughter conversion to take them closer at 69-64 with 3:21 to go.
It was Sumalinog who stepped up again by scoring 5 of his 10 points in a 30-second stretch. The wingman buried another dagger and sank both of his charities to give his alma mater its first double-digit lead at 74-64.
The Fighting Maroons attempted at another rally going into the final seconds, but when Raul Soyud turned the ball over with 16 seconds left, the game was pretty much put to rest.
Slaughter managed to tally his third block as the clock ran down, only for Lopez to hit a consolation jumper with two seconds to go. Tonino Gonzaga then secured the inbound pass as the buzzer rang to the cheers of the Ateneo faithful. Ateneo won, 76-70.
Ateneo did a bad job of taking care of possession. The Blue and White tallied 19 giveaways in comparison to UP’s 13.
The Blue Eagles’ woes from beyond the three-point line continued, making only 2 from 10 attempts (20%). UP had a decent output, making half of their 14 tries. Ateneo fared better from the field, though, shooting 49% compared to UP’s 31.3%.
When asked whether he expected UP to play the way they did, Black said that it’s expected that every UAAP game will be competitive. “Just because we’re Ateneo doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy,” Black added.
“I’m just trying to do my role,” added player of the game Salva, who put up 21 points, five rebounds and three assists, “it’s my last year, [and] I’ve been doing the same thing for the past three years.”
The beginning of the game was met with a delay due to one of the game clocks malfunctioning. However, both teams agreed to play with both game clocks turned off until the replacements were installed. Thus both teams had to rely on the announcements of the arena’s barker for the entirety of the first half.
The Blue Eagles line up next against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors at 4 PM on Saturday, August 4 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Box scores:
Ateneo – Salva 21, Slaughter 13, Ravena 11, Sumalinog 10, Chua 7, Gonzaga 5, Buenafe 5, Erram 2, Elorde 2
UP – Lopez 13, Ball 11, Padilla 11, Gamboa 10, Soyud 9, Montecastro 6, Asilum 6, Silungan 2, Romero 2
