Eagles whip Bulldogs in round 2

The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles and the National University Bulldogs clashed in the Second Round of UAAP Season 73 on August 19, 2010. At the end of four quarters, the Eagles had walloped the seemingly hapless Bulldogs, 69-49.

Ryan Buenafe, Frank Golla, Justin Chua, Kirk Long, and Eric Salamat were first on the floor for Ateneo. It was Chua who scored Ateneo’s first field goal, and the IS junior powered his way to 8 points early in the game. After allowing NU to tie them at 8, the Eagles cracked down on defense and got down to business, and did not let up until the final buzzer sounded. The boys in blue looked focused and determined, and even a questionable technical call on Captain Salamat for “excessive swinging of elbows”, called during a timeout, did not deter them from the task at hand. The first quarter ended at 20-13.

A triple from Juami Tiongson trumpeted the start of the second quarter, and a three from Emman Monfort a couple of possessions later marked an 8-0 run by the Eagles. Sloppy ball-handling by NU hurt their cause even further, and another three from Monfort made it 34-19. The Bulldogs tried their best to catch up to the Eagles, but even a triple to end the quarter still saw the score at 42-25.

Two freethrows from Long were the first points by the Eagles in the third quarter, as NU continued to paw at the Ateneo lead. Another triple from Monfort livened up the rather stagnant Ateneo offense with less than 3 minutes to go in the third. A 53-36 score line at the end of the quarter boded well for the Eagles but they were not about to relax even a little.

A rather graceful turnaround shot by Nico Salva — fingers still bandaged from an injury sustained in their last game — began the final quarter for Ateneo. A deluge of foul calls against Ateneo had the Bulldogs trooping to the line, frustrating the whole Blue and White community. Four fouls were already called on Ateneo with a little more than 7 minutes still left to play. Double lane violations also seemed to be a “take one” promo for almost each foul shot awarded to the Bulldogs. Ateneo shook it off and continued to focus, and a surge began right at the 5-minute mark. Salamat and Buenafe led the Eagles on an offensive and defensive onslaught, capped off by a no-look pass from Salamat to Buenafe. As the game entered the final two minutes, the Blue Babble Battalion sang “Roll out the Victory”, with the Ateneo spectators gamely joined in.
What happened during the game was clearly encapsulated during the Eagles’ last possession. Just before the final buzzer sounded, Ateneo bench player Chris de Chavez threw up an underhanded scoop from nineteen feet, and it somehow found its way into the basket. The Eagles won by 20 points, 69-49.

“Ryan’s game’s picking up,” Coach Norman Black said, “He’s also lost a few pounds,” he added with a chuckle. “You know me, you don’t play if you don’t play defense, and he’s playing more minutes,” the Ateneo Coach also said.

Ryan Buenafe bulldozed his way to 14 points en route to leading the Eagles past NU. Buenafe, whose added heft this season has been the subject of many a UAAP conversation, gave a self depreciating laugh as he agreed with his coach’s analysis of his weight. In addition to his points, he also had 5 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal, and 2 blocks.
Chua had 10 points, while Monfort had 9 — all from the 3-point line. Salamat may have had only 6 points, but he contributed 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 amazing steals.

The Blue Eagles next face the De La Salle Green Archers. The second round game is scheduled to commence on Sunday, August 22, 4 PM, at the Araneta Coliseum. See you at the games. Animo Ateneo!

by Ceres Lina