UAAP Season 76: One Step At A Time (FEU Tamaraws - Ateneo Blue Eagles Round 1 Match Up)

  FEU Tamaraws (2 - 0) def. Ateneo Blue Eagles  (0 - 2) 79 - 75 in OT

Even Ryan Buenafe's monster performance couldn't propel the Blue Eagles to a win.
(credits to spin.ph)

  Phew. What a game, to say the least.

  In a game that was filled with drama despite the absence of star play maker Kiefer Ravena and ever so controversial Jerie Pingoy, only one could end up as the winner, and that title had to go to the FEU Tamaraws. 

  Fans of the Morayta based team went home happy, filled with confidence because of their two game winning streak. The fans from the blue side, however, went home sad, confused and filled with uncertainty for their future because of their two game losing streak.

  Are the fans supposed to feel this way? Let's analyze the game and find out.

   The game started out with the Eagles taking full control. They jumped out to a 10 - 2 lead, thanks to Ryan Buenafe who scored 5 of those 10 points. They would call a time out, yet Ateneo would extend the lead to 10 points, 14 - 4. They would call another timeout, and the uprising of the Tamaraws would start. They would go on a 9 - 0 run to cut the lead to three points, before the Eagles would end their drought by scoring a basket. The Tamaraws would score a three pointer, then the Eagles would answer back with another basket. The first canto ended with the Blue Eagles leading, 18 - 14.

  The second quarter wouldn't be much different to how both teams played. The Tamaraws would continue to suffocate Ateneo with their defense, yet both teams still continued to bleed for their points. The efforts of the Morayta based squad wouldn't go to waste though, as the lead got cut down to a slimmer margin, 33 - 31. 

  Before I continue narrating, let me bring out some points.

1. For the past few seasons, Ateneo has had a reputation of coming out of halftime and going bonkers. In short, they have been a great team with adjusting to what the opposing team brings to them. They are a great 3rd quarter team, but their game against NU pretty much said otherwise. 
2. FEU has been known to stumble at times during the clutch during the past few seasons due to inexperience and lack to team work. Their game against UE proved otherwise, with the Tamaraws utilizing a press in order to force turnovers and to produce easier baskets. 
3. For the past three seasons, Ateneo has only lost two games against FEU, both in the clutch, and that was during Season 73, the season most closely related to this season. For seasons 74 and 75, Ateneo has succeeded in executing during the clutch, mostly thanks to Kiefer Ravena. 

   For the third quarter well, it was FEU that went bonkers, and not Ateneo. FEU controlled the game for most of the third quarter, hitting their baskets and taking advantage of Ateneo's mistakes on the offensive end in order to create easy baskets for themselves. This resulted to a 53 - 44 advantage for the Tamaraws by the end of the 3rd, punctuated by a Mike Tolomia Irving - esque shake and bake step back jumper. FEU would extend the lead to 11 points, and only 8 minutes remained in the game. Was there still hope for the Blue Eagles?

  Enter Ryan Buenafe.  

  Buenafe would take on the challenge of leading his team back from the dead, and boy did he respond with authority. He would hit two threes (you could even argue that one of those should have been a four point play) and hit two free throws to help steal the lead from the Tamaraws, 58 - 57. The rest of the way would be a see saw battle, and come the 2:31 mark, Ateneo all of a sudden saw themselves down by 5, 64 - 59. Nico Elorde would come again to the rescue by hitting a three, but Anthony Hargrove would hit two free throws to extend the lead to four once again. Ryan would find Newsome for an open shot, and with one minute remaining, Ateneo was down by two, 66 - 64.

  FEU possession. Ateneo needed just one stop in order to tie the game, or heck, even win the game. Ateneo would get the stop.. but they'd turn it over again, thanks to a careless turnover by Chris Newsome who stepped out of bounds. FEU had the chance to seal the deal, but Ateneo pulled off another stop. Buenafe would find Newsome again under the basket, but he would be fouled this time. It was his chance to make up for the fatal mistake that he committed a few possessions before. Two free throws. It was over time, or go home.

  Swish. Swish. Seems like we would go to overtime. Looks like Ateneo has the upper hand right? After all, they are the team with more experience, right?

  Not really. 

Terrence Romeo came through in the clutch to lead FEU for the win.
(credits to spin.ph)

  Tolomia opened the extra period with a booming triple. Terrence Romeo would follow that up with a shot of his own. The lead was suddenly at 5 again. Newsome would split his free throws. Ateneo couldn't buy a basket. All of a sudden, all hope suddenly seemed lost for the Blue and White. Not until Ryan Buenafe came to the rescue again, however.

  The lead extended to 6, 73 - 67, before Buenafe hit two free throws in order to cut it down to 4 points. Buenafe would strike again, this time it would a jumper to cut it down to 2. There was suddenly life again for the Blue Eagles. Ateneo would get a stop, and Tiongson would draw a foul. He'd hit both free throws, and all of a sudden, it was a tie game. One more stop, and Ateneo could escape with the win. Ateneo would get the stop and grab the rebound... until Roger Pogoy would steal that rebound from Buenafe, and hit a gimme. 2 point lead, Tamaraws. Ateneo had one last chance. Ateneo would waste that last chance. Elorde would commit a turnover thanks to the good court instinct of Terrence Romeo, and just like that, it was game over. 

 Now, after the game, many people noticed the struggles of Ateneo in the offensive end. Many accounted this to the lack of ball movement from the team, which was a staple of Norman Black's system during his tenure with the Blue Eagles. Is this Coach Bo's fault? Partly yes, partly no. Why? Well, let me bring to you two points which support why it's coach Bo's fault and why it isn't. It isn't his fault because..

• Ateneo couldn't move the ball well because of their poor floor spacing. Everything was clogged in the offensive end of the Blue Eagles, whether it be in the paint or in the perimeter. Why was there poor floor spacing? Well...
• Their shooters weren't living up to their norm. Von Pessumal and Juami Tiongson are supposed to be their floor spacers, yet they couldn't hit their shots. Because of this, the defense was focused on the inside, where Ateneo also played poorly in the paint because of their lack of size and heft. Another reason is..
• No Kiefer Ravena. Kiefer is their ultimate floor spacer. The defense will be focused on him. Not Buenafe. Not Newsome. Most especially not Golla. It will be Kiefer. 

 Why can it be Coach Bo's fault? Well, let me relate it to my second point concerning the shooters. Probably their shooters could have shot easier if Coach Bo...

• Used more screens with regards to his plays. Actually, that's the thing Coach Bo is known for; his use of screens, especially with regards to Gary David. You may argue that Ateneo won't be able to give effective screens because their small. Hey, a screen is still a screen, so more or less it would give more space for the shooter to operate. Another factor that we can consider is....
• Coach Bo not instructing Newsome and Buenafe (most notably Buenafe) to drive. If Buenafe and Newsome focused on slashing to the basket, that could have created more space in the outside. They could have just kicked out the ball to the open man in the three and boom. That could have been a confidence builder as well.

Coach Bo better find a solution for this, and fast.
(credits to spin.ph)

  Credit also has to be given to FEU. They were able to adjust immediately following Ateneo's early barrage, and they didn't let up. What they did was they focused on clogging the outside instead of the inside. When Ateneo lost their rhythm in the outside, they went back to clogging the inside, and it was hopeless from there on. The Hail Mary squad wasn't able to adjust to that, so they better take note of that next time.

  Credit also has to go to Coach Nash for trusting his three guards in Romeo, Garcia and Tolomia. Tolomia was just phenomenal in this game, hitting clutch basket after clutch basket. Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia were their usual super selves as well.

  Ateneo is on the hot seat now. The pressure is on them to bounce back. Yet, Coach Bo is actually quite calm concerning it. 

“The numbers of Ryan and everybody else chipping in is the most important. I’m seeing the positive side. That is the most important thing to me,” said Perasol. (credits to spin.ph)

  One step at a time. That's what he is saying. The Eagles just have to take it one step at a time. They don't have to panic, it's just the start of the season. Two straight losses is alarming, yes, but they will continually grow. Eventually, the Eagles will get out of this funk. Eventually, Kiefer will come back and play. Eventually, the Eagles will start getting talked about in a more positive light.

  They just have to take it one step at a time.

Player of The Game: Terrence Romeo (FEU Tamaraws)
21 points, 9 rebounds

Notable Performance: Ryan Buenafe (ADMU Blue Eagles)
29 points, 15 rebounds

The next play date will be on July 6, 2013 at the Araneta Coliseum. The first game of the double header will be the UST Tigers facing off against the Adamson Falcons. For the main event, Filoil finalists UE and NU meet in a showdown of early season favorites.