Looking at Ateneo’s 2nd round
win vs UST
by rick olivares
The Ateneo Blue Eagles ended
their elimination round with a 102-62 demolition of UST to sweep the second
round and to formally finish with a 12-2 record; tops in the UAAP.
Here are my thoughts about this
huge win.
This was as an efficient win as there is any
Six turnovers for Ateneo all
match long? Wow. Eight players shot 50% or higher. A 21-6 disparity in assists.
48-32 advantage in inside points.
35-21 in perimeter points. 30-7 advantage in turnover points. UST was out of it
in the first period alone.
Blowing out UST.
They bettered their 85-53 first
round win over UST this time by a 40-point margin of victory. Last game or not
and whether the Ateneo coaching staff will admit it or not, they aren’t going
to go soft on any Aldin Ayo team. The Growling Tigers losing CJ Cansino has
everyone’s sympathy but on the court… no. Injuries are all part of the game and
no one wants to enter the Final Four on a losing note. Just ask Letran.
While the coaching staff led by
Sandy Arespacochaga (Tab Baldwin wasn’t around) gave meaningful playing time to
all the players, they still did not let up on the pressure.
Surely, they remember the last
two years of collisions with Ayo’s La Salle teams and the acrimony that came
away from them.
It was the perfect game to insert Matt Nieto back into the starting
line-up.
It was great to see Matt Nieto
back to his starting role where he presided over the first quarter blitz that
for all intents and purposes ended the game right there.
Matt tallied 5 points, 4 assists,
and 2 rebounds in close to 16 minutes of play. Not bad.
But I have to admit that I noted
that Tyler Tio didn’t play too well coming off the bench. He didn’t score and chalked
up only one rebound and one assist.
That William Navarro incident.
Yep, I caught that moment. At the
2:56 mark of the third period and the score 78-37, William Navarro stole the
ball from UST’s Joshua Marcos. On a 2-1 break, he elected to take the shot
rather than pass the ball to Thirdy Ravena who was ahead by several steps.
Although Navarro scored on an and-one and completed the three-point play for an
81-37 lead, Ravena chewed him out. “Pasa mo yung bola,” I saw him say. If I am
not mistaken, another teammate also called Navarro out. And Arespacochaga
pulled out Navarro to point out his “mistake.”
The system comes first and not
the individual.
Navarro was sent back in a few
seconds later.
I like that because he was
admonished and no doubt, he will get it. And so there is no need to punish him
further.
It was like several games ago
where SJ Belangel did not control the match and was instead looking for his
shot. He got yanked.
The system that Baldwin installed
is designed for everyone to get a shot provided they make the proper reads and
pass. I like that fact that Baldwin talks about selflessness and serving the
greater good. And that is what it is all about.
On the other hand, I like that
Navarro played a second consecutive strong game. Will finished with 17 points
on 7-7 shooting including 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
Not bad. And Matthews Daves
played well once more.
Rounding out into vicious form.
Ateneo has pounded its foes in
this second round. They defeated UP (17 points), FEU (20 points), UE (20), NU
(15), Adamson (14), La Salle (9), and now, UST (40).
They have won by an average of
20.3 points. The highest thus far in league history.
Can we say that we are seeing the
form that won them the City Hoops, Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup, and the Breakdown Basketball Invitationals along with their stellar William Jones Cup showing? No doubt.
But the mission isn’t done. They
need three more wins to validate everything.
In addition to his team correcting him, I like how Navarro responded. He seemed to play better after that scrubbing, with the dunk and everything.
ReplyDeleteI love what Thirdy, Isaac and Coach Sandy did.That's what Ateneo basketball is about. The name at the front of the jersey is more important than the one on the back. Props to Will for responding accordingly.Getting dragged back down to Earth so quickly is not fun.
DeleteThe shellacking was definitely a F U message to Ayo, similar to what DLSU did the last time. Where was he anyway? After the 14-0 start, he seemed to have given up and just sat down the majority of the game.
ReplyDeleteHOW DID THE FIGHTING MAROONS PREPARE FOR DLSU?
ReplyDeleteAS PRIMARY PREPARATION, THEY PRACTISED THEIR 3 POINT SHOOTING AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN .....
ITS EITHER FEU AND DLSU NOW?
ReplyDeleteFEU ALMOST KNOCKED US OUT FROM THE FINALS LAST YEAR. THEY BEAT US IN THE FIRST ROUND. WE BEAT THEM BUT WITHOUT ORIZU AND TOLENTINO.
DLSU, WE WON BOTH GAMES. BUT THEY HAVE NOT ADJUSTED TO SAMUEL'S RETURN. CAN THE COACHING STAFF DO SOMETHING SOON??? FOR SURE, THEY CAN TRY!
I THINK THERE WILL BE A FIGHT FOR THE LAST SLOT, AND IT WILL SHARPEN THE WINNER IN CONFIDENCE, SKILLS AND TEAM PLAY.
Sure FEU did not have Orizu and Tolentino, but Ateneo did not have Thirdy and the Nietos either.
DeleteRick....I believe from the replays shown that it was Isaac Go who also had something to say to Navarro.
ReplyDelete