Ateneo vs La Salle by the numbers

I had fun yesterday serving as a pre and post-game guest analyst alongside former Sen. Freddie Webb. Thanks to Direk Abet, Direk Al, and Ken for the opportunity. Thanks to Kamae De Jesus and Portia Silva for the rah rahs! Hey, I'm a fan too of you girls. Hahaha. I had fun talking with the Senator yesterday about UAAP hoops, the state of Philippine basketball, corruption in government, why Joshua Webb went to La Salle and not Ateneo or UST, and why Rabeh Al-Hussaini is Da Man. The Senator was kidding me that if Ateneo won, he'd wear my blue hoodie and if La Salle won, I'd have to wear a green jacket. Game on, Mr. Webb!

Ateneo has beaten La Salle three times this year:
79-73, 65-57, and 69-61
In the 12 quarters played, Ateneo has won 11 of them.

Ateneo has outshot La Salle every time out:
40%-39.1%, 48.%-33.8%, and 42.4%-28.6%

Ateneo has outrebounded La Salle in all three matches:
46-41, 45-37, and 44-40

Ateneo has outblocked La Salle thrice
7-3, 7-3, and 7-5 (coincidentally, "7" is Nonoy Baclao's jersey number)

Ateneo has more turnovers every time out:
12-10, 21-13, and 23-18
but La Salle has been unable to capitalize on them.



But perhaps more tellingly, Rabeh Al-Hussaini is increasingly playing better against the Green Archers:
1st game 10 points and 8 rebounds
2nd game 18 points and 11 rebounds
3rd game 31 points and 9 rebounds

In all three Ateneo wins, three players scored in double digits while La Salle has struggled
1st game
Tiu 26 points, Al-Hussaini 10 points, and Salamat 10 points
Casio 19 points, Maierhofer 16 points, and Mangahas 13 points

2nd game
Al-Hussaini 18 points, Baclao 11 points, and Reyes 10 points
Maierhofer 16 points

3rd game
Al-Hussaini 31 points, Buenafe 12 points, and Reyes 12 points
Casio 20 points and Maierhofer 17 points

Regarding keys to an Ateneo win, here's what I said yesterday:

1. Establish inside game. Ateneo arguably has the best 1-2 punch inside the lane in the UAAP. If Rabeh and Nonoy can put points on the board early on while playing great D, it will open up the perimeter for Jai Reyes and Chris Tiu. In case you've all been watching, Ateneo has transformed itself from a guard-oriented squad into a big man's team. Witness the games of Paolo Bugia, Doug Kramer, Ford Arao, Zion Laterre, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, and Nonoy Baclao. Interesting because Norman Black was a guard in the NBA, CBA, and NC2A.

2. Avoid foul trouble. In last year's Final Four, early foul trouble to Ford Arao, Zion Laterre, and Nonoy Baclao wreaked havoc on Norman's rotation. With no bigs to shore up the middle, La Salle beat Ateneo on the boards for the first time all year. The vets need to stay on the floor long enough.

3. Stop DLSU's perimeter game. As shown in their second round masterpiece, no Jayvee Casio points means DLSU has to scramble for points from someone else. And no one has stepped up. Stopping the opposing guards means fueling the defense and break of Ateneo.

Hahahaha. Didn't have enough time since I only had a minute.



With Direk Al Neri and the Real Aga Muhlach.
Pix by Aly Yap and Martin Romero.
Coffee by Starbucks.







By the way, winners for the Write the Blue Eagles contest:
Michael Yu
Johann Fojas
Clarisse Ligunas
Robbie Tan
Allen De Vera
Ya'll won an Ateneo shirt from adidas + a baseball cap! Congrats!

I'll be in ADMU from 5pm-830pm tomorrow. We can meet up at Xavier Hall around 530pm. For the iamnonoy shirts, maybe mga before 6pm?

Poll Results:

What do you think of the adidas Ateneo team wear?
Tres cool. I love it. 59 votes
Okay lang. 30 votes.
It sucks. 9 votes.

What adidas Ateneo team wear do you most like?
Hoodie 48
Windbreaker 29
Tee shirts 24
Jerseys 9

What other adidas Ateneo team wear would you like to see?
Replica jerseys with names and numbers 54 votes
Football kit 30 votes
Baseball jersey 25 votes
Undies 16 votes
Scarves 16 votes
Baseball caps 13 votes