Ateneo runs over UST; Blue Eagles still unbeaten at 6-0

Run, run, and run.

With the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers sending double-teams in order to contain Ateneo’s leading scorer and rebounder Greg Slaughter, the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles changed their game plan and decided to run the ball instead, as they beat the Espana based dribblers, 66-53, August 4, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Hail Mary squad started the first quarter with guns blazing, scoring six straight points. An unsportsmanlike foul called on senior point guard Emman Monfort allowed the Tigers to regain the lead 11-10 late in the first quarter. “In the first half, we were taken by surprise by the way we were being defended,” mused Coach Norman Black, “and we did a very poor job of executing our offense.”

The lead would go back and forth until Ateneo went on an 8-0 run, anchored on reserve forward Tonino Gonzaga. Gonzaga, lauded in the preseason tournaments for his all-around play and hustle, scored 6 of his 8 points in the second quarter, and gave the Blue Eagles some much needed breathing room as they ended the first half on top, 29-20.

After a traditional all-male halftime performance by the Blue Babble Battalion, Coach Norman Black and his staff made the necessary adjustments that allowed Ateneo to increase their lead over the Tigers. Ateneo outscored UST, 37-23, in the second and third quarters, behind the brilliant defense and teamwork of starters Kiefer Ravena, Nico Salva, and Kirk Long.

The fourth quarter saw the Blue Eagles fending off any rally that the Tigers tried to mount. Spoiled by a 5-0 record and obviously fewer in number due to it being a weekday game, the Ateneo faithful finally got to their feet when super rookies Ravena and Slaughter combined for an alley-oop dunk on a fastbreak. Ravena tallied 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists to lead the Blue Eagles. Salva backstopped him with a near double-double, with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block.

The Blue Crew barely missed Greg Slaughter’s usual offensive output, as the 7-footer only scored 6 points and got 7 rebounds – well below his season averages. “The thing that helped us in this game was the fact that we were able to get out and run,” counters Coach Norman. The Eagles uncorked 26 fastbreak points versus the Tigers’ 3. “Whenever you can get a lot more fastbreak and turnover points, you have a better chance of winning the game, even if you don’t shoot that well from the floor,” he maintains, as the Blue Eagles only shot a measly 33.8% from the field (compared to UST’s 29.7%).

In dominating fashion, Ateneo led in every other statistical category save for rebounding and second chance points. The three-peat defending champions had 20 assists (to UST’s 8), and 14 turnover points (to UST’s 6). Moreover, Ateneo’s second unit, much criticized for not producing as much as its starters, outperformed UST’s bench by scoring 20 points anchored on Gonzaga and co-captain Bacon Austria. Austria had 7 points, all in fourth quarter during the stretch where Ateneo was fending off a furious UST rally.

When asked if Ateneo can be stopped, Coach Norman said that any team can be beaten. “We have a lot of veterans in our team so it’s easy to sell the idea that we have to try to stay in the top 2 going into the Final 4. That’s really the goal right now,” he says.

Ateneo aims to sweep the first round when it faces the Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Sunday, 3PM at the Araneta Coliseum.

STATS OF THE GAME

BOX SCORES

ATENEO (66): Ravena 18, Salva 14, Gonzaga 8, Austria 7, Slaughter 6, Long 6, Sumalinog 2, Monfort 2, Chua 2, Golla 1, Erram 0, Tiongson 0

UST (53): Fortuna 18, Teng 12, Ferrer 6, Pe 6, Camus 5, Abdul 4, Afuang 2, Vigil 0, Tan 0, Sheriff 0, Lo 0, Ungria 0