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| (Photo Credit: John Oranga, Fabilioh) |
Ateneo Blue Eagles def. NU Bulldogs 96-83
Notable players:
Chibueze Ikeh, ADMU (18 points, 11 rebounds, 7/9 FG %): Chibueze was doing absolutely everything ranging from scoring in both the paint and perimeter, hitting his free throws, blocking, great picks to even amazing passes. He looked like a completely different person and his confidence definitely boosted his game to enable him to lead Ateneo to victory.
Vince Tolentino, ADMU (15 points, 7/9 FG %): Vince was delivering when it counted the most which was towards the latter part of the game. Despite only a limited number of rebounds and assists, he went in for the kill and achieved these vital aspects when NU was making a run of their own. He just needs to be more consistent with his free throws given that his game is more inside than out.
Jayjay Alejandro, NU (24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists): He was just an absolute torch for the Bulldogs squad and a pest for the Blue Eagles. Early on he had went on a barrage of baskets both outside and in whether it be steady or off-balanced. Jayjay really showed true leadership in taking charge and getting efficient baskets as much as he could to be able to keep up a good fight for NU.
Enzo Joson, NU (14 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, 5/6 FTs): The former Blue Eaglet, now a full-fledged Bulldog, was just stellar for NU in the most simple of ways. Contributing the second highest scoring output on his team paired with setting up his teammates and then finished off with good hard defense.
Quick Analysis:
- NU got off to a great start thanks to the hot hand of Jayjay Alejandro and the persistent defense of Enzo Joson and even led the Blue Eagles 25-21 at the end of the 1st quarter. It wasn’t until Ateneo made a run of their own thanks to the all-around game of Chibueze Ikeh and the contribution of practically the entire team late in the 2nd quarter to briefly silence the NU crowd. They did fight back and keep the deficit to 4, the score being 47-43 but as the game progressed, the Blue Eagles were just too cohesive as a unit that they were playing like a well-oiled machine.
- NU had foul trouble to worry about even before Ateneo took control of the lead and it eventually bit them back and affected their game later on. They would constantly be in the penalty almost every quarter with at least 3 minutes remaining and in the realm of basketball, that amount of time is unexplainably long and a lot of things can occur. Although, the constant risk that they took also merited them a total of 7 steals which, in turn, was easily very bothersome for the Blue Eagles and definitely pressured them to play at a faster pace due to the full court press and half court trap the Bulldogs were implementing.
- Ateneo was able to play a steady game all through out with 4 players in double figures and only 2 players going scoreless at the end of the buzzer. Unlike their past few games, it could be noticed that their style of play against NU was more of a penetration game with various slashing, pick and rolls and even crazy drive to the lane drop passes under the basket. The Blue Eagles found their rhythm in the paint and utilized their hot and quick baskets to be able to put themselves in a relatively comfortable spot. They showcased the depth of their bench unit and presented that everyone can be a deadly asset come game time and their development as a team can get even better from what it is now.
- If there’s one thing that could have aided NU, it would be to create more openings for the different players and not an offense solely revolving around Jayjay Alejandro. They have a significantly lower amount of bench points being 25 as compared to Ateneo’s 36 and being able to utilize more of their players and expose them to game time could have benefited the team for the game and possibly the games to come.
- Despite Ateneo playing a well-rounded game overall, they still need to be able to consistently take control of the ball more in a sense that they need to limit their turnovers. Whether it be via steals or just a plain lapse of judgement, at the end of the day, it was those turnover that could have possibly led to their demise if they weren’t leading by as much as they were. Together with this, they need to hit more of their free throws to be able to secure an even greater assurance for themselves seeing as they only hit 23/32 as compared to NU’s 15/22.
- Ateneo is still unbeaten at 6-0 while NU drops to a standing of 2-4 but anything can happen for these two squads. NU can improve drastically when it comes to a more balanced scoring spread out amongst the different players and Ateneo can faultier if they don’t work on their ball control and free throws. There is still a long path for the relatively young NU team but if they work together and put their mind to what they’re doing and equally spread it across their team, they can reach great heights for this season. As for Ateneo, they will need to keep up their well-balanced scoring but this time around, pair it with better control and consistent free throw shooting, if they want to get one over their next opponent, the defending champions, the De La Salle Green Archers.
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