The University of the East Red Warriors started the first quarter of their game against FEU with a 12 -6 lead which was punctuated on good defense on the Tamaraws. That was the same intensity they were in against the three time defending champions which caused the Blue Eagles to fumble five times in the first quarter and miss all their nine three pointers in the whole of the first half. The game was reminiscent of their game against the UP Maroons two years ago which they lost but this time around the Blue Eagles were wiser to address their shooting and once again relied on their number one advantage – Greg Slaughter.
Just like the Adamson Falcons, the Warriors were no match to the height and might of the seven foot Ateneo center who had a double – double game as he scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds enroute to a 73 -61 victory of the Ateneo Blue Eagles against the only winless team in the league, the UE Red Warriors. What was not seen in those 18 points of Slaughter was the way he patrolled the middle that made the Warriors take jumpers and shied away from any lane incursions and drives to the hoop because of the monstrous presence of the Blue Eagle slotman. As a result, the Warriors first free throw attempt came at the end of the third quarter when Slaughter was resting on the bench.
The Blue Eagles started the second quarter on a bad note as most of their shooters were shooting blanks and was having a hard time getting a field goal with their points only coming from the free throw line. The Eagles eventually shot a horrendous 4 of 22 with the Warriors also shooting badly themselves with a 4 of 11 clip. The Blue Eagle second unit did not help as much as the game turned into ugly ball since no one was having good shots thanks to the good defense on both sides. Te Blue Eagles opened the third quarter with a 10 - 4 run to put a little more distance between them and the Warriors as Greg Slaughter towered over his opponents once again. The Blue Eagles finally controlled the game and ended the third quarter comfortyably on top 51 – 39.
In the fourth quarter the rest of the starting unit contributed this time with Kirk Long scoring off drives, Emman Monfort on a three pointer and off a steal and Nico Salva on the stripe which led to the Eagles getting their biggest lead 65 -47 with three minutes left. The Blue Eagles were also treated to another show when Kirk Long riffled a pass to Kiefer Ravena who in turn attacked the basket like an NBA star and dunked the ball that sent the Blue side of the coliseum into a state of celebration. Slaughter had a dunk in the first quarter off a fastbreak and so did Ravena as the fabulous freshmen led the team in scoring once more. The excitement goes on as every Ateneo game proves to be a roller coaster ride.
The scores:
Ateneo (73)
Slaughter 18, Ravena 13, Salva 10, Monfort 9, Long 9, Tiongson 8, Chua 2, Erram 2, Austria 2, Pessumal 0, Sumalinog 0, Gonzaga 0, Golla 0
UE (61)
Zamar 13, Noble 11, Javier 9, Santos 7, de Leon 6, Sumang 5, Enguio 5, Chavez 2, Tagarda 2, Flores 1, Montelibano 0, Sumido 0, Duran 0
Quarter scoring: 16-14, 28-25, 51-39, 73-61
Thanks Erwin Cabbab for the pictures
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