TEAM GLORY Be started off its campaign in the Got Skills Elite Showcase tournament with back-to-back victories last weekend. The team overwhelmed Adamson University with a 78-57 victory last Saturday, July 4, and followed it up with another convincing victory, 70-51, against Arellano University the following day on July 5.
Defense was the calling card for the Blue Eagles as their relentless fullcourt pressure forced Adamson’s offense to go into disarray. The team forced 19 turnovers, which led to a lot of easy fastbreak opportunities on the other end.
Former RP Youth standout Isaac Go spearheaded a balanced attack as he led four players in double figures with a team-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds en route to Player of the Game honors. The much talked about CJ Perez and rookie Marc Salandanan scored 11 points apiece while Dan Wong added 10 to help the charges of Coach Yuri Escueta.
Meanwhile, after a sloppy first half which saw the team struggle with the defensive pressure from Arellano, the Blue Eagles quickly turned a 26-all deadlock at halftime into a 33-26 lead inside a minute and 30 seconds courtesy of a personal 7-0 run from CJ Perez to crack the game wide open. “Baby Beast” would end up with a game-high 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists earning him Player of the Game honors. Dan Wong and Earl Murphy both finished with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
The two wins vaulted the 20-man team, composed of players from both the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team A and Team B, atop the standings of Group A with six games remaining on their schedule. Their next game is against Mapua University at 10:00 AM this Sunday, July 12, at Philadelphia College Quezon City.
