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Quick Fire: FEU Tamaraws lock down on D to push the Ateneo Blue Eagles to a do or die

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(Photo Credit: Joaqui Flores, Tiebreaker Times)

FEU Tamaraws def. Ateneo Blue Eagles 80-67 

Notable Players: 

Ron Dennison, FEU (17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals): After a shitty second round, the Ron Dennison of the first round came to play. He was terrific on both ends of the floor, hounding both Thirdy Ravena and Matt Nieto, while bailing out the Tamaraws on multiple occasions as well. Great stuff.

Arvin Tolentino, FEU (13 points, 3 rebounds): Arvin was aggressive to start off the game, and that's when you knew FEU was going to have a good time versus Ateneo. He shot more inside than from the outside (JUST THREE ATTEMPTS FROM DOWNTOWN), driving with no hesitation and posting up when need be. Locked in Arvin Tolentino is SCARY. Close to unstoppable.

Richard Escoto, FEU (5 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists): Give this dude an award. Seriously. His hard work on both ends is absolutely insane. He's undersized, but with his blend of smarts and hard work he managed to get extra possessions for FEU. 

Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (17 points, 6 rebounds): Thirdy was one of the few bright spots for Ateneo in this game. He honestly could have done more, but we have to give him credit for what he provided.

Quick Analysis:

- Lots of people gave credit to FEU for their offense, but honestly it wasn't THAT good. They settled for a lot of isolations and they bailed themselves out with sheer talent. Not exactly the best look.

- That's not to say FEU did bad by the way. That's just nitpicking. What we should really give credit with FEU is how well they played defense. ABSOLUTELY MARVELOUS. Not only did they manage to control the pace, but they did such a great job of defending Ateneo's off-ball action (Seven total steals). We all know how intricate Coach Tab's system is, and FEU absolutely destroyed it in this game.

- Side note: FEU is going to be SO SCARY next season. Dennison and Orizu are the key guys leaving, but an unleashed Arvin Tolentino who could very well have a good idea of offensive balance and effort? SIGN ME UP.

- It's easy to say that it was just a bad shooting day for Ateneo since they did miss a lot of open shots, but that would be lazy analysis. They were getting open looks, but they weren't RHYTHM looks. That means most of their threes weren't in the flow of their offense and were actually forced. That's a big win for the FEU defense. 

- At the same time, this exposed Ateneo's biggest weakness yet: the lack of a go-to guy when nothing is falling. Even the 73-9 Golden State Warriors needed one. When Curry wasn't going nova, where did they go to? Nothing. That's why they needed Kevin Durant to bail them out in bad situations. Does Ateneo have one? They could have one. But right now, their two options for that position don't look ready yet. Maybe somehow, Matt and Thirdy learn how to take over games when nothing is falling in time for Wednesday. Just maybe.

- To add to the go-to guy point: shooting a billion jumpers won't cut it. You need someone who can yam it to the rim when need be. Golden State has KD to do that. The Cavaliers have LeBron. La Salle has Ben Mbala. FEU have Dennison and Arvin. Ateneo? Well, Ikeh took a bunch of jumpers yesterday while the rest of the guards tried to shoot again and again. It was understandably frustrating to watch for Ateneo fans.

- It's 50-50 at this point. Don't be surprised if Ateneo manages to pull it off on Wednesday to set-up a rematch with La Salle. I also wouldn't be shocked if FEU continues their stellar play to set-up a bloodbath with their longtime rivals. This is going to be fun.

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