 |
| Greg Slaughter powered his way to another double-double against the UE Red Warriors. (image by Justin De Jesus/FullCourtFresh.com) |
AdMU Blue Eagles over the UE Red Warriors, 73-61
The UE Red Warriors have beaten the Ateneo Blue Eagles at least once in each of the past two seasons. The Reds shellacked the Blues 88-68 in Game 2 of the Season 72 Finals, and squeaked past them, 62-60, in the second round last year. Most of the other games between these two squads have been close too – with Ateneo’s wins being decided by an average of only 8 points (Seasons 71-73).
So if one puts it in perspective, this 12-point win should be tantamount to amazement, right?
The problem is it doesn’t feel, well, amazing.
 |
| Kiefer Ravena quietly scored 13 points for Ateneo. (image by Diana Moraleda/Inboundpass.com) |
Many probably felt Ateneo should’ve beaten UE by more than a dozen – perhaps by a dozen dozens, given their roster and especially after they blew out the Bulldogs just two days prior, but it seemed the Eagles just weren’t up to the task yesterday. It seemed like they were just going through the motions. It seemed like they were going through drills. It seemed like they were in preseason mode.
 |
| Roi Sumang and the Warriors stayed close to the Eagles for half the game. (image by Diana Moraleda/Inboundpass.com) |
It was a good thing then that, even at their grittiest, the UE Red Warriors just aren’t good enough to beat the Eagles this year. UE stayed close in the first half, and scored just as much as Ateneo in the last period, but a 3rd quarter spanking stretched the lead to something insurmountable already. At 0-4, I’d normally say coach Jerry Codiñera should hit the “code red” button now, but what could anyone have expected anyway? Frankly speaking, I doubt UE can beat anybody this season.
 |
| Juami Tiongson was the lone bright spot off the bench for Ateneo. (image by Justin De Jesus/FullCourtFresh.com) |
Another not-so-nice win for the Katipunan quintet, but another one they’ll take. They’re at 4-0 now, and that is still pretty impressive. The bench, however, has been far from impressive. They got outgunned 14-41 by UE’s bench. That’s something they will surely address in preparation for the Maroons on Saturday. Ateneo could reach 5-0 after that game, but only if they treat it more than just another training day.
AdMU 73 – Slaughter 18, Ravena 13, Salva 10, Long 9, Monfort 9, Tiongson 8, Austria 2, Chua 2, Erram 2, Golla 0, Gonzaga 0, Sumalinog 0, Pessumal 0
UE 61 – Zamar 13, Noble 11, Javier 9, Santos 7, De Leon 6, Sumang 5, Enguio 5, Chavez 2, Tagarda 2, Flores 1, Sumido 0, Montelibano 0, Duran 0
QS: 16-14, 28-25, 51-39, 73-61
Kiefer Ravena's breakaway dunk in four frames (image by Erwin Cabbab/Fabilioh.com)
 |
| The Take-Off |
 |
| The Flush |
0 Comment