Blue Eagles survive Tams

The Jumpball of Giants

Ryan Buenafe provided the scoring spark while JP Erram made the key  defensive stops as the Ateneo Blue Eagles finally found the right answer to the physical defense by the Far Eastern University Tamaraws as the five time defending champions scored a come from behind 74 -71 win at the Smart Araneta Coliseum for the sixth win in the ongoing 75th season of the UAAP.  Buenafe scored eight second half points and was the key in breaking down the Tams physical defense with his signature drives that resulted in three point plays. Erram on the other hand grabbed nine rebounds in his limited time and provided the defensive sock on FEU Center Anthony Hargrove.

Juami's shooting saved the day

For the first time in three years former MVP Ryan Roose “RR” Garcia was let loose as the FEU ace playmaker scored 21 points, the last time he scored more than 20 against the Blue Eagles was in 2010 where he scattered 25 points in their 72 – 69 opening game win. After that, Emman Monfort happened and RR was never the same as he averaged only 10 points in 6 games with a 6 point output in game 2 of the 2010 finals. Today, there was no Monfort and RR was left open most of the time and he ran rings around Juami Tiongson and Kiefer Ravena in the first half as he combined with Anthony Hargrove to give the Tams a 12 point lead 35 – 23 in the first half. 

Ryan on the drive

After sizing up each other in the first quarter, the Blue Eagle’s offense suddenly went sour in the second quarter. The Men in Blue had good looks but were not making their shots and had a lot of defensive lapses.    To make matters worse, the Blue Eagles missed a ton of free throws in the quarter and eventually the whole game as they shot a woeful 23 of  37 from the stripe.  There were also a lot of defensive lapses on their part as there was a time when RR Garcia cut to the middle and saw himself all alone for a lay – up while Anthony Hargrove made a head fake drove to the basket and Slaughter saw him make a monster slam dunk. Nico Salva and Kiefer Ravena were bumped and thumped which resulted to a bad first half were both combined for only four first half points, the result was a 27 – 37 deficit for the Blue Eagles entering the second half.

Slaughter monster slam

After the half the most unlikely of heroes came out to the Blue Eagle’s rescue.  Fourth year guard Juami Tiongson sank back to back triples while his back up, the spunky transferee from DLSU Nico Elorde also felt like he himself was in a zone as he stopped by the three point area, faked a pass to Greg then buried an all important three pointer to cut down the Tamaraws lead  45 -  46.  At one point in the game, Coach Norman had Greg up front with Ryan and Kiefer manning the forward spots and Nico Elorde and Juami teaming up on the back court. That combination produced wonders even though the Tams ended the quarter up by four 53 - 49.

JP Erram was the man

In the fourth quarter the Blue Eagles weaved their defensive magic as they put a lid on the Tams basket.  The Blue Eagles on the other hand scored on various ocassions as Buenafe fed Slaughter and Nico Salva who was having an off night. The result was a 69 – 60 lead for the Blue Eagles who were suddenly making their shots and preventing RR Garcia to score together with the other Tamaraws. With the Blue Eagles comfortably ahead, the Tams three desperation three pointers made the score to what it is.  This time around, Coach Norman Black found the answer to what the Tamaraws prepared for.  The Ateneo bench outscored the Tamaraw bench 24 – 16 on the strength of Buenafe’s 10 points.  The Blue Eagles are now primed for the big time.

Individual Scores:

ATENEO (74 )

Slaughter 17, Tiongson 12, Ravena 12, Buenafe 10, Erram 6, Elorde 6, Salva 6, Sumalinog 3, Chua 2, Golla 0, Gonzaga 0.

FEU (71)

Garcia 21, Hargrove 12, Romeo 10, Bringas A. 10, Bringas M. 7, Belo 6, Tolomia 3, Pogoy 2, Cruz 0, Mendoza 0, Sentcheu 0.

Quarter Scores: 18-21; 27-37; 49-53; 74-71

   

Thanks to Erwin Cabbab for the photos

Olympians beat Hunters

Elmer Labis scores

The STI College Olympians used their signature pressure defense in the second and third quarter to get enough cushion to cruise to a 74 -  65 against the never say die New Era Hunters.  The Olympians torched the nets at will as the shooting of Abby Chavez and Paul dela Peña combined with the inside presence of Cedric Ablaza and Maclean Sabellina spelled doom for the Hunters.   The Olympians  thus got their second consecutive win as they stay on course with the leaders St. Clare College and Centro Escolar University which both notched their third consecutive victories the other day. The games have been played at the Lumera Towers Gym in Legarda for the second consecutive day.

Paul dela Peña on the drive

The Olympians and Hunters were like boxers in the first quarter wherein both where trying to look for an opening and ways on how to counter each other’s offense prowess.  New recruit Paul dela Peña started things rolling for the Olympians as he scored on a three pointer and a drive to the basket. At the end of one quarter the Olympians had a hard time shaking off the pesky Hunters with a 17 -14 lead. 

Maclean Sabellina blocks the shot

The second quarter changed the complexion of the whole game as the Olympians defense became tighter which forced the Hunters to turn the ball over and miss a couple of shots.  The Olympians then used the misfortunes of the Hunters into something good as the turnovers were converted into points. Abby Chavez led the onslaught with two three pointers while the rest of the team added their share of points as the Olympians took control of the game. In a blink of eye the Olympians  raced to a 45 -26 lead as the Taguig based STIers scored 28 second quarter points and more importantly limited the Hunters to just 12 points.

In the third quarter the Olympians rebuffed all rallies mounted by the Hunters as they limited the Adonis Tierra coached squad to only twelve points. Because of that, the Olympians padded their lead to 23 at the end of the third canto as they entered the fourth quarter with a commanding 61- 38 lead.  Unfortunately for the Olympians the Hunters woke up from their slumber and orchestrated a final comeback which was predicated on their former Juniors stand out Leo Roncal. The Hunters took advantage of the lackadaisical stance of the Olympians in the fourth quarter as they scored twenty seven fourth quarter points to get back to the game. Unfortunately for the Hunters time ran out on them as the Olympians coasted to a nine point win.

Abby Chavez breakaway lay up

The Junior Olympians on the other hand barely worked up a sweat in disposing the Trace Junior stallions to the tune of a 122 – 56 demolition of the Los Baños based Juniors squad.  Patrick Aquino’s 30 points led six Junior Olympians that scored in double figures as Jim Lontoc added 13 points, Josh Raymundo and Nino Romano each scored 12 points, while Erven Silverie added 11  marked and Arjay Napeñas added 10 points. The Junior Olympians are still unbeaten and are slated to play against the AMA Junior Titans on Monday.

The scores

RK Morales on the drive

STI COLLEGE JUNIOR OLYMPIANS (122 )

Aquino 30, Lontoc 13, Raymundo 12, Romano 12, Silverie 11, Napenas 10, Justiniani 10, Ngolong 9, Parinas 8, Baquiran 3, Pangilinan 3, Jimenez 2.

TRACE COLLEGE JUNIOR STALLIONS (56 )

Herradura 13, Martin 12, Magpantay 10, Mariano 5, Nunez 4, Delos reyes 3, Quinia 3, Despera 2, Redondo 2, Cuevas 2, Angeles 0, Lumibao 0, Ogalin 0.

Quarter scores:   30-15, 65-38, 101-49, 122-56.

STI COLLEGE (74 )

Sabellina 12, Ablaza 12, Chavez 11, Dela pena 8, Moraga 6, Moreno 6, Labis 5, Morales 4, Riva 4, Bocablo 4, Francisco 2, Ohandja 0, Ortega 0, Saldana 0.

NEW ERA UNIVERSITY (65)

Santos 16, Roncal 15, Sevilla 14, Orbase 4, Bebit 4, Sarmiento 4, Cabacungan 3, Talastas 2, Reynoso 2, Faner 1, Molina 0.

Quarterscores     17-14, 45-26, 61-38, 74-65.

NAASCU 2012

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Blue Eagles get fifth win

Greg stuffs it

When you are the top team in the land, other teams in the bottom will do whatever it can to be able to beat you.  Two days ago the UP fighting Maroons hd the Ateneo Blue Eagles figured out for more than two and half quarters.  The Maroons even led by ten points but the hard starting Blue Eagles eventually found a way to stem the tide and win the game.  When the Blue Eagles prepared for the UE Red Warriors they vowed that the same thing will not happen again but unfortunately the Blue Eagles found it hard to shake off the fast paced Red Warriors.

Nico Elorde fouled

The Red Warriors opened the quarter with a 5 – 0 blast courtesy of JR Sumido who sank a three pointer and an unmolested lay-up. The Blue Eagles were quite looking at a hole for a while since they did not match the intensity of the Red Warriors that led the Blue Eagles 7 - 2. Team Ateneo eventually caught up but could not shake off the gallant stand of the upset consciuos Red Warriors as the first quarter ended  19 – 18 in favor of the Blue Eagles. 

Ryan Buenafe scores on a jumper

Another ploy that the Warriors put into perfection was to make Greg Slaughter work on defense. Slaughter played one on one defense against the Warriors Center Chris Javier who burned Greg with ten first half points.  Javier ran rings around Greg as he scored on a turn around hook shot that silenced the Ateneo crowd. The UE shooters were quite online with Pedrito Gallanza torching the nets and Roy Sumang constantly pressuring the Ateneo guards which disrupted the Blue Eagle offense.  The result was a three point Ateneo lead at the half. Quite a succesful half for Coach Jerry Codiñera considering that his team looked like the team that is more in control.

Kiefer Ravena on the drive

As the second half started there was fire in the eyes of the Blue Eagles. Their usual offense was there but their unforgiving defense came to play.  After scoring 34 points in two quarters the Red Warriors could only muster five measly points in the third quarter where the Blue Eagles eventually made their move.  Ryan Buenafe sparked the Blue Eagle breakaway with his scoring, passing and all around play.  At the end of the third quarter the Blue Eagles were ahead by 15 points.

Poy Erram blocks the shot

After that third quarter onslaught of the Blue Eagles, the Red Warriors were brought back to earth by the mighty Blue Eagles.  For the first time in the season, Coach Norman fielded in the rest of the team with sightings of Chris Porter and the two other Eagles who have not yet played G-Boy Babilonia and Isaac Lim. Greg Slaughter and Keifer Ravena scored 14 and 12 respectively with Nico Salva having an off game with 7 points but that was enough for the Blue Eagles to score a 68 – 51  win over the UE Red Warriors.

Nico Salva hand off

Boxscores

ATENEO 68—Slaughter 14, Ravena 12, Gonzaga 9, Tiongson 7, Salva 7, Buenafe 6, Sumalinog 2, Pessumal 2, Golla 2, Erram 2, Elorde 2, Capacio 2, Chua 1, Porter 0, Lim 0, Babilonia 0.

UE 51—Javier 16, Galanza 12, Sumang 10, Hernandez 6, Sumido 5, Belleza 2, Alberto 0, Villarias 0, Valdez 0, Santos 0, Razon 0, Olayon 0, Mena 0, Flores 0, Duran 0, Duncil 0.

Quarter scores: 19-18; 37-34; 54-39; 68-51.

Olympians secure first win

Trace College cannot weather the Storm Riva

Sometimes one your worst enemy is yourself. In basketball, a win should always be earned and worked on, it is never given on a silver platter. This is the lesson that the STI College Olympians learned after losing their opener against the St. Clare Saints. This time around, the Olympians worked hard, cruised for a while and then recovered just in time to fashion out a masterful 93 – 64 victory against the vastly improved Trace College of Los Baños at the STI Academic Center Gym at the resumption of the 12th NAASCU basketball tournament.

Cedric Ablaza topscored once again

The Olympians brought back their patented pressure defense which resulted in turnovers for the Stallions and a 27 point first quarter for the Olympians.  Newbie  Paul dela Peña who got elbowed in the eye in the first game led eight Olympians who scored in the first quarter as he  sank six free throws for six markers.  Centers Maclean Sabellina and Ivan Moreno combined with the vastly improved Lester Bocablo chipped in four points each to underscore the Olympians balanced attack.

Maclean Sabellina dunks the ball

The second quarter saw the Olympians relax a little as they allowed the Stallions to chip in on their lead. In comes super Forward Cedric Ablaza and Center Elmer Labis Jr. who each scored five points to address the scoring drought of the Olympians.  The Stallions on the other fought back with Prado and Hilario combining for 11 points to match the Olympians scoring toe to toe.  The Olympians thought the Stallions would simply melt down but unfortunately, like a bad nightmare the Stallions kept coming back.

Lester Bocablo on the drive

The Stallions eventually cut down the lead of the Olympians to ten points which prompted Coach Vic Ycasiano to call a timeout and address the lackadaisical manners of the Olympians. After the timeout, the Olympians responded with their own kind of tight defense and a paralyzing pressure defense that made the Stallions turn the ball over.  The Olympians forced the Stallions into a total of 24 turnovers and most of these were steals led by Marvin Moraga. 

Paul dela Peña scores

By the fourth quarter, the Olympians simply coasted along as they have erected an insurmountable thirty point lead. Top scoring for the Blue Eagles were Ablaza who scored 18 points while Maclean Sabellina and Lester Bocablo  had 12 points apiece. The Olympians play the City University of Pasay next and expect another game similar to this.

Elmer Labis connects

STI COLLEGE (93)

Ablaza 18, Sabellina 12, Bocablo 12, Dela Peña 10, Labis 9, Moreno 6, Morales 5, Moraga 5, Riva 4, Ortega 3, Francisco 3, Saldana 2, Ohandja 2, Chavez 2, Lara 0,

TRACE COLLEGE (64)

Hilario 11, Reyes 9, Rembon 8, Esperanza 6, Sambrano 6,  Prado 6, Tonggal 4, Villamayor 4, Flores 3, Boyles 2, Eleazar 2, Marqueses 2, Cabrera 1, Perez 0,

27 - 12, 44 - 31, 64 - 47, 93 – 64

Junior Olympians debut with a 100 - 45 rout

Arjay Napeñas leads the fastbreak

Teamwork is achieved when five men execute a perfectly prepared game plan and everyone contributes to a bigger cause. The STI College Junior Olympians put up a phenomenal debut, the best in Junior Olympians history so far as the Taguig based cagers beat the New Era Junior Hunters 100 – 45. Energized by the pro-STI crowd watching at the STI Academic Center, the Junior Olympians started like a house on fire, took a blow but recovered just in the nick of time to carve out that impressive one-sided win.

Patrick Aquino is ahead of the pack

The Junior Olympians pressure defense worked wonders as they started the game with a 10 -0 run as the Junior Olympians first five of Patrick Aquino, Fernando Ngolong, Nino Romano, Josh Raymundo and Arvin Detubio ran rings around the hapless Junior Hunters.  At the halfway mark there was more trouble for the Junior Hunters as Arjay Napeñas, Erven Silverie, John Pariñas, Carlo Jimenez and Jim Lontoc finished the job with the Olympians opening a whopping thirty point first quarter lead 39 – 9 with just ten minutes of play.

Arvin Detubio lays it in

In the second quarter, the Junior Hunters play finally set in as their defense kept the Junior Olympians from pulling away.  The Junior Olympians scored only a solitary point in five minutes of play. Good thing for the Junior Olympians their defense made them keep their lead as the Junior Hunters could only score four points in the first five minutes.  With three minutes left the Junior Olympians finally caught fire and ended the half still a mile away 54 – 16.

Jim Patrick Lontoc drains a three pointer

After the half it was already moot and academic for the Junior Olympians as forward Arjay Napeñas came off the bench to topscore with 16 points to lead the balanced attack by the Taguig based squad which had five players score in double figures.  Patrick Aquino added 16 points while Jim Lontoc scored 15 points with nine points coming off three pointers.  Bulacan find Arvin Detubio finished with 12 points while point guard Algin Justiniani scored 10 points which came mostly off steals converted into fastbreak points.

Aljin Justiniani scores on the break

STI COLLEGE (100)

Napeñas 17, Aquino 16, Lontoc 15, Detubio 12, Justiniani 10, Pariñas 7, Silverie 7, Romano 5, Pangilinan 5, Ngolong 4, Raymundo 2, Jimenez 0, Baquiran 0, Abuy 0

NEW ERA UNIVERSITY (45)

Absin 10, Mangandi 10, Decatoria 6, Silva 5, Juarigue 5, Valguna 4, Maragondon 3, Pascua 2, Lomibao 0, Tierra 0, Dolor 0, Camps 0, Faner 0

Quarterscores:

39 – 9,  54 – 16, 81 – 30, 100 -45 

Fernando Ngolong provided the muscle inside

12th NAASCU Opens

NAASCU President Dr. Jay welcomes the NAASCU Fans

For the past twelve years the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities has been weathering so many storms that has plagued the league literally and figuaratively.  The NAASCU was suppose to open on July 30 but typhoon Gener made things hard for the league to start in time as the roads leading to the Makati Coliseum were flooded which made league officials reset the opening to August 1. Finally when the league opened the winners were the students who trooped to the Coliseum to cheer for their respective teams.

The STI College Olympians 

The NAASCU opened with the ethereal voice of Ms. Stacey Gonzales of Centro Escolar University rendering the heartwarming Invocation song “The Prayer” which was then followed by a prayer by Bro. Jeofrey Bautista of New Era University. The City University of Pasay ROTC Cadets brought in the Philippine Flag and the NAASCU flag while Ms. Gonzales sang the National Anthem acapela. NAASCU President Dr. Ernesto Jay G. Adalem welcomed the jam-packed Makati Coliseum crowd and said that the only thing he can assure is that the NAASCU will get better and better. 

Inspirational Speaker Alvin Patrimonio

Giving the opening ceremonies a big boost was the presence of the inspirational speaker, four time PBA MVP Alvin “the Captain” Patrimonio.  Alvin was the main attraction of the PBA in the 90’s and he shared to the NAASCU fans and athletes some of the secrets of his success.  One of the most important things Alvin mentioned was that there is no shortcut for success! You must start from the bottom and work your way up to the top in order for you to become successful. That is why the NAASCU is the best place to start your way up to the top.  Another important thing he added was a quote he shared “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!” This adage is another important factor that he added to his life.

 Guest speaker Samboy Lim

Avelino “Samboy” Lim is another guest that was greeted with a rousing welcome by the NAASCU fans and athletes.  Lim, shy and soft spoken, likewise addressed the crowd with his brand of teamwork and discipline which are key ingredients that one can learn in grassroots development of sports. Lim was a member of the original Dream Team of the PBA in 1990 and was part of the Mythical 5 of the Asian games.

 

 11th Season Over-all Champion CEU

The NAASCU also awarded the achievers of 2011 by giving out the trophies for the over-all champion.  First up was granting full membership status of Our Lady of Fatima University and giving the City University of Pasay another trophy which is the Most Cooperative School. The City University of Pasay has been tagged as the school which sold the most number of tickets all season long.  After that, three schools stood tall by accepting their trophies for their outstanding performance last school year. AMA University garnered the second runner-up trophy in the over-all race while Our Lady of Fatima University copped first runner-up.  Centro Escolar University was the runaway winner for the Over-all champion of the 2010 -2011 season.

 Carlo Saldaña & Denise Sangalang, 

Mr. & Ms. NAASCU 2012

Again, the highlight of the day was the search for Mr. and Ms. NAASCU 2012.  The judges of the event were Mr. Joemel Castor, Mr. Roger Fortaleza and Engineer Gilbert Artificio who are all certified friends of NAASCU.  Coming out the fairest of them all was the pair from STI College Carlo Saldaña and Denise Louise Sangalang who was adjudged Mr. and Ms. NAASCU 2012. The 1^st Runner-up was given to Aldrin Yambot of City University of Pasay and Jana Don Diego of New Era University.  Finally the second runner-up was won by the pair from St. Clare College, Robin Dulalia and Rose Anne Roncal.

Blue Eagles beat Archers 71 - 61

The Ateneo defense

Adversity brings out the best in everybody.  That’s what feuls the drive of the De La Salle Green Archers to end their three game losing streak against the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP. The Green Archers did their homework on defense as they constantly doubled the 7 foot Greg Slaughter in the first quarter in every possession he had the ball.  Because of this adjustment, Slaughter constantly passed the ball and gave the scoring opportunities to his team mates. Unfortunately, for the Green Archers the rest of the Blue Eagles came to play and helped Slaughter score a 71 – 61 win to give the Blue Eagles their third win in Season 75 of the UAAP.

Juami on the drive

Just like in their previous three games, the Blue Eagles started like a house on fire as Kiefer Ravena helped the Blue Eagles race to a 20 – 8 first quarter lead.  Ravena would score 10 first half points as Slaughter eventually found a crease in the Green Archers defense a he constantly challenged all the Archers big men who all came out of the first half with two fouls each.  Unfortunately for the Blue Eagles, Nico Salva and Tonino Gonzaga’s offense was not there since their mid range shots were not going in.  To compound their woes, the Blue Eagles relied on their defense as their first five and second team thwarted the Green Archer’s comeback as  the Men in Blue held on to a 36-25 first half lead.

Greg on the line

Trading Places.  Coach Norman Black saw something in the the way former Green Archer Nico Elorde played and defended. Elorde is an orchestrator and a prime defender in the mold of Tonino Gonzaga.  He is now at ease backing up lead point guard Juami Tiongson as he is slowly blossoming into the  good point guard envisioned him to be. Mark Tallo on the other hand was recruited by the Blue Eagles to succeed Eman Monfort. Unfortunately, Tallo jumped ship even before Season 74 started and went to Taft and is now one of the back ups of LA Revilla. Elorde  played for 17 minutes scoring 3 points while Tallo only two minutes with just a solitary attempt that did not go in.   In two years look for the two to get heavy minutes and battle it out again.

Kiefer on the drive

The Green Archers, proud and loud once again overcame a 16 point lead by the Blue Eagles as they came back through veteran LA Revilla and super rookie Jeron Teng.  Revilla was unstoppable, scoring on lay ups, jumpers and feeding the sensational rookie from Xavier.  Luigi dela Paz completed the Archers amazing run by scoring on a three point play to put the Men in Green ahead 45 – 44 with three minutes left in the game. They say the only way to beat the DLSU defense is to play better defense than them. Coach Norman Black eventually made adjustments that eventually paid off. He put Tonino Gonzaga on the speedy LA Revilla and Keifer Ravena on his Juniors National Team buddy Jeron Teng.  These adjustments allowed the Blue Eagles to come out with a 62 – 53 lead in the last five minutes which was more than enough for the Blue Eagles to salvage the win.

Nico scores over Torres

Nico Salva scored a silent 16 points as his jumpers were off while he scored inside at the right time in the foruth quarter.  Greg Slaughter on the other hand neutralized all the big men DLSU sent his way as he scored 20 points and hauled down seven rebounds while Norberto Torres, Yutien Andrada, Arnold Van Opstal, Papot Paredes and Ponso Gotladera scored a combined 15 points and 13 fouls on them.  LA Revilla’s primary back up Almond Vosotros never got his game going as Kiefer Ravena stole the ball from him to score on an unmolested lay up while Slaughter sent the ball almost to the stands in a monster block on Vosotros – the result air time for Tallo and rookie Thomas Torres. These are just sidelights in the first Ateneo vs La Salle game at the MOA Arena.

Kiefer pulls out

ADMU (71) – Slaughter 20, Ravena 16, Salva 16, Chua 6, Tiongson 4, Buenafe 3, Elorde 3, Pessumal 2, Erram 1, Gonzaga 0, Sumalinog 0.

DLSU (61) – Revilla 16, Teng 13, Torres N. 11, Dela Paz 7, Manguera 6, Andrada 2, Van Opstal 2, Webb 2, Mendoza 1, Tampus 1, Gotladera 0, Paredes 0, Tallo 0, Torres T. 0, Vosotros 0.

Quarter Scores: 20-8, 35-28, 53-50, 71-61

Blue Eagles rout Bulldogs

Nico Salva topscored 

for the Blue and White

Former Blue Eagle Jason Escueta couldn’t said it much better. In his facebook post three days ago he said “ Good luck sa mga may Dacanay, Que at sa susunod na kalaban ng Ateneo.” Jason was referring to two of the most avid jesuit fans of the Blue Eagles, Fr. Nemy Que and Fr. Adolfo “Dacs” Dacanay who he figured were both  devastated with the loss to the UST Growling Tigers last Thursday. What was more like a premonition was the good luck to the next opponent of the bLue Eagles who he figured would come back with sharpened claws. Lo and Behold, the highly anticipated match between the two summer league champs, the National University Bulldogs and Fr. Martin’s Cup Champ Ateneo Blue Eagles became a one sided affair as the Blue Eagles blew away the Bulldogs 89 - 65.

Greg Slaughter on the move

                                                      

Juami Tiongson started things going in the first possession of the Ateneo by scoring on a three point shot. After an NU miss Tiongson drove to the basket,  got a foul from Gelo Alolino and scored again on a three point play this time. Nico Salva drove the basket to make it 8 – 0, a fiery start by the Blue Eagles. From thereon the Bulldogs never knew what hit them and they played catch up the whole game.  Emmanuel Mbe would score eight points in the first quarter to give the Bulldogs enough breathing room but that would not be enough for the Blue Eagle onslaught.

Tonino Gonzaga worked hard 

on both offense and defense

The last time these two teams met in the Filo-oil Pre season tournament where the Bulldogs were so ferocious they routed the Blue Eagles to the tune of an 85 – 68 win with Bobby Ray Parks scoring 30 points. Unfortunately for the  Bulldogs, the Blue Eagles showed why they are the four –peat champions as their firepower was too much for the Bulldogs to handle as they scored 55 first half points. At the same time their defense was unforgiving as the rest of the Bulldogs never got their games going to support Parks and Mbe.

Nico on the drive

Aside from the good games of Nico Salva who scattered 21 points, Kiefer Ravena who had 17 points and Greg Slaughter who had 14, Justin Chua came out with a good game by scoring 12 points with Tonino Gonzaga getting 9 points while Juami Tiongson scoring 8 points.  With that much firepower there was not much denying the Blue Eagles as they also shut down Jeoff Javillonar, Gelo Alolino and Spencer Rosario who combined for three points, down from their  previous 41 point combination in their first game.  

Kiefer Ravena scores

The Blue Eagles led by as much as 27 points at one point 87 - 60 which is a testament that winning preseason tournaments and the UAAP are not the same.  This just shows that the Bulldogs are also vulnerable and can be whipped once a team plays good defense and has adequate offense to pull the win. At the same time, the Blue Eagles avoided losing back to back games this season, the last time they lost back to back was in the 2006 championships. Next stop, the Blue Eagles battle their archrivals, the Blue Eagles.

Justin Chua jumper

The scores:

Ateneo (89) – Salva 21, Ravena, 17, Slaughter 14, Chua 12, Gonzaga 9, Tiongson 8, Elorde 3, Buenafe 3, Erram 2, Porter 0, Pessumal 0, Capacio 0.

NU (65) – Parks 22, Mbe 14, Villamor 10, Ignacio 6, Rono 5, De Guzman 2, Betayene 2, Alolino 2, Khobuntin 1, Javillonar 1, Rosario 0, Neypes 0, Labing-isa 0.

Quarterscores: 28-17, 55-34, 72-54, 89-65.