#UAAP79 The Good and the Bad: Ateneo vs De La Salle - October 2, 2016

The Ateneo Blue Eagles tried their best to slow down Ben Mbala and the De La Salle Green Archers. Only ADMU stood in the way of a first round sweep for the boys in green. Unfortunately, even the suspension of Coach Ayo and injury of Jeron Teng could not prevent DLSU from running allover the Blue Eagles. 

Ben Mbala could not be stopped

The BAD

• ADMU could not solve the Mayhem press defense; they scrambled and panicked often
• They had 30 turnovers which led to 33 turnover points for DLSU
• Only 2 fast break points for the Eagles which meant they could not break the press
• Ateneo was called for 3 unsportsmanlike fouls (Ravena, Tolentino, Matt Nieto) 
• Mike Nieto struggled with his jumper (1 of 7)
• Ben Mbala dominated with 28 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals and 1 block
• Andrei Caracut scored 14 points and was +41 
• Chiz Ikeh had 7 points and 5 boards but was -43
• DLSU recorded 16 steals while ADMU had only 4
• La Salle was awarded 21 of 33 free throws, ADMU just 14 of 24
• Points in the paint were 54-28 for DLSU
• Mbala had 3 monstrous dunks including a wicked alley-oop 

Mbala made sure that everyone would remember his ferocious alley-oop dunk

The GOOD

• The score was tied at 20 after the 1st quarter
• ADMU had their biggest lead at 26-20, then it went downhill afterwards 
• Perimeter shooting was clicking at 13 of 28 from downtown 
• Ravena had 10 points in the first half, but only 1 point in the 2nd 
• Ravena had a double-double of 11 and 11 (his 2nd of the season)
• Kris Porter hit 2 threes and had 6 points in less than 9 minutes
• Matt Nieto went down hard and appeared to hurt his knee BUT he came back to play and he was solid with 13 points and 2 threes
• Ateneo had more assists 20-17
• Eagles were only out-rebounded by 8
• ADMU had more bench points, 44-35 

Final Thoughts 

Ateneo battled and tried their best. They kept it close for one period, but that was it. DLSU is just too deep, too fast, too big and too strong right now. Ben Mbala is unstoppable. He can probably play in the PBA as an import. 

Still, ADMU should be happy with their 4-3 record after the first round. They are certainly in the hunt for a final four slot. 

Hopefully, they continue to improve because they can beat the other schools except La Salle. 

Lastly, Aaron Black did not play and we all hope that we receive good news regarding his leg/foot injury. #OBF


Click HERE for more game photos between Ateneo vs La Salle! 

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#UAAP79 The Good and the Bad: ADMU vs FEU - September 14, 2016

The Ateneo Blue Eagles earned an impressive victory over the defending champions, FEU Tamaraws, yesterday at the MOA Arena. The Eagles started strong as they ended the first quarter with an 8-point lead and their biggest advantage was at 13 points. They had the advantage for most of the game even without the injured Aaron Black.  

However, the Tams cannot be discounted because they made a run during the 4th quarter. They managed to tie the game at 66 apiece with about 2 minutes left but Thirdy Ravena and Anton Asistio closed the door on the comeback attempt by FEU. 

So, the Ateneans won the game 76-71. Great effort and excellent team win. 

Well, here are my observations after that game...

Asistio and Ravena celebrated their win over FEU

(Image from: Arvin Lim)

#UAAP79 The Good and the Bad: ADMU vs NU - September 11, 2016

The Ateneo Blue Eagles tried their hardest to finish the game vs the NU Bulldogs with a 2-0 record, and a share of the tournament lead. However, the Bulldogs exhibited tough defense and they showed us why they are considered a final four team. ADMU kept it tied during the first half but was unable to keep up with NU after the halftime break. The Bulldogs won, 70-60, to have a share of the lead with DLSU at the top of the standings. 

Well, here are my observations after Ateneo's second game...

This Wong block was the highlight of the game for ADMU

#UAAP79 Game Photos from ADMU vs NU - September 11, 2016

Adrian Wong (3) with the highlight block on Josh Sinclair (9)

Rev Diputado (5) burned the Eagles all game long

J-Jay Alejandro (7) contributed 8 points and 7 rebounds for NU

Thirdy Ravena (0) struggled to hit baskets 

Anton Asistio (4) started for ADMU

Alfred Aroga (19) shot 7 of 10 free throws 

ADMU recorded 9 blocks and held NU to 41% shooting

NU's defense held Ravena to 2 points on 1 of 6 shooting

Asistio had 8 points on 3 of 11 shooting

The Eagles shot 36% from the field

Mike Nieto (7) led ADMU with a career-high 14 points

Wong and ADMU played good defense but their offense faltered

Aroga shot poorly from the floor (2 of 9)

Aaron Black had a bad game with just 4 points

***All photos by ROGET CALLUENG***

#UAAP78 The Blue Eagles Crashed Against the Tamaraws

Mike Tolomia was hot for the Tams while Von Pessumal went cold from the field
(Photo from: slamonline.ph)

The Ateneo Blue Eagles barely got the chance to take flight during the opening game of UAAP Season 78 in MOA Arena last Sunday. The Blue Eagles were manhandled by the FEU Tamaraws by a whopping 24 points. The final score was 88-64 as the Blue Eagles started their season with a loss against the early season favorites.

Ateneo trailed FEU for most of the game. They trailed by 12 points after the 1^st quarter, by 18 at the half and then by 15 after 30 minutes of action. The Blue Eagles were unable to crack the double digit lead all throughout the game. FEU controlled the game with their ball movement and timely outside shots to keep Ateneo at bay. The Blue Eagles found themselves scrambling on defense too often and their shots were not falling on the offensive end. A lot of the credit should go to FEU for playing a superior ballgame.

#UAAP77Jrs: Blue Eaglets Escape in OT vs Baby Tamaraws

The Ateneo Blue Eaglets had relatively easy wins during their first two games of the season. Both games were double digit wins. Their search for a 3-0 start required them to play a dangerous and feisty bunch from FEU-FERN.

Ateneo went into attack mode early. They ran in transition often and it helped them erect an early lead, 34-26 after the first half. Matt Nieto and Jolo Mendoza were making their shots while FEU struggled making jumpers and turning the ball over was a huge problem.

Matt Nieto's strong scoring propelled Ateneo past FEU-FERN in overtime!
(image by Dondi Nolasco)

In addition to the Nieto siblings and Mendoza, Shaun Ildefonso of Ateneo also made impressive shots in the paint while Justine Eustaquio provided relentless pressure defense that lead to fast break points for the Eaglets.