Ateneo takes win no. 4 after schooling UP
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THE future of Ateneo basketball was on display at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Young guns Ryan Buenafe and Eric Salamat, along with the vastly-improved Rabeh Al-Hussaini, sparked the Blue Eagles’ 83-66 shellacking of host University of the Philippines in the 71st UAAP seniors basketball tournament last July 19, 2008.
Buenafe, a freshman from San Sebastian College-Recoletos, poured in 17 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 shots from the foul line, while Al-Hussaini and Salamat finished with 13 and 12 markers, respectively.
“He [Buenafe] was the star of this game, he’s not playing like a rookie, he’s playing with a lot of maturity,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black. “Ryan as well as the other players are really amazing. They all play like champions.”
With the win, the Blue Eagles moved to 4-0 – their best start since beginning the 2006 season with eight consecutive wins. They advanced to the finals that year, but bowed out to the UST Growling Tigers in three games.
UP was in the thick of things early, figuring in two lead changes and three deadlocks before Ateneo broke the game open by taking a 25-15 first period lead.
“We just took care of business [against UP] with an attitude, we did not stumble, and we played good defense,” said Black, who also drew a combined 12 points from Nonoy Baclao and rookie Nico Salva.
The host school fought for pride in the second quarter but it proved futile as it only managed to tie the scoring production of the 2002 champions in the second quarter at 18.
Buenafe jumpstarted his squad’s third quarter onslaught, firing 11 of the Blue Eagles’ 27 third quarter points. That run extended the Ateneo’s lead to 70-52 at the end of the third period, a lead they did not relinquish the rest of the way.
Veteran Chris Tiu, who had eight of his 11 points in the first quarter, sat out most of the fourth quarter as Black let his second unit finish off the Fighting Maroons.
Ateneo finished with a remarkable 27-of-55 shooting clip (49.1%), as against UP’s 23-of-64 (35.9%) mark. The Blue Eagles also proved that they can run effectively, scoring 22 fastbreak points and 17 off of their opponent’s 21 errors.
In contrast, the Fighting Maroons managed to score only two fastbreak points. Martin Reyes and Arvin Braganza topscored for UP with 12 markers apiece.
Individual Scores:
Ateneo 83 – Buenafe 17, Al-Hussaini 13, Salamat 12, Tiu 11, Salva 6, Baclao 6, Austria 4, Long 4, Nkemakolam 4, Reyes 4, Baldos 2, Gonzaga 0, Chua 0, Burke 0, Sumalinog 0.
UP 66 – Reyes 12, Braganza 12, Co 8, Lopez 8, Agbayani 7, Sison 7, Sorongon 6, Astorga 4, Marfori 2, Fortu 0, Gamboa 0, Hipolito 0.
Quarter Scores: 25-15; 43-33; 70-52; 83-66
Tags: Ateneo-Blue-Eagles, Petron, Ryan-Buenafe, UAAP-Season-71, UP-Fighting-MaroonsRelated posts
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hayyy
+0
Saturday, 19 July 2008 at 11:56 pm
whats new with UP anyway.. sameold story
rya
+0
Sunday, 20 July 2008 at 1:16 am
up still losing, and theyre not fun to watch anymore. at least before even if they lose there are guys to watch like jr reyes and marvin cruz
proud2Bbedan
+0
Sunday, 20 July 2008 at 1:39 am
why is migs de asis have no playing time?
purple
+0
Sunday, 20 July 2008 at 11:42 am
hais…. did it again.. go ateneo! go ryan..! astig
DeViLmInE
+0
Sunday, 20 July 2008 at 11:58 am
i think migs de asis rookie season was a BIG FLUKE!
cha
+0
Sunday, 20 July 2008 at 7:16 pm
migs has not imporved his moves since rookie year
puro spot up nlg. he’s too heavy that its affecting his mobility
he doesnt play D either
shooter na hindi maka shoot
rhk111
+0
Monday, 21 July 2008 at 5:57 pm
I never imagined ADMU to go 4-0 as they have done right now. I knew their rookies were good, but I thought they would take at least a season to find their bearings in college. And that has been true: Except for Buenafe, the other rookies have been struggling. What has worked for ADMU, are the veterans like Rabeh and Eric Salamat, who have stepped up big this season.
Cholo
+0
Friday, 25 July 2008 at 10:05 am
Ganito pa lang kaaga sa season, ibang klase na ang pinapakita ng Ateneo! Chris has been consistent (take note that he also consistently contributes in the rebounding and assists department), Nonoy has been their workhorse since offseason, Rabah has improved offensively (and has shown that if he wants to, he can grab all the rebounds possible), Eric’s playing smarter, Jobe’s playing with “angas”, Ryan’s playing like a seasoned veteran (what poise he shows!)…the whole team’s playing good!
Ateneo’s for real. Malamang ang tingin ng karamihan underdogs pa rin sila, but I believe they already have what it takes to win it all this season. I think they’ll lose a couple of games in the elims (tingin ko sa Round 2 mangyayari), but they’ll be fine. Though a 14-0 record would be sweet if they achieved that.
Go Ateneo! One Big FIGHT!