UAAP 76- Ateneo Loses Its 3rd in as Many Outings

After going up by as many as 14 points, the De La Salle Green Archers went on a timely offensive flurry in the 4th period to defeat archrivals Ateneo, 82-73 in the first round of UAAP Season 76.

Keys to the Game:

-Ateneo must reduce turnovers: Generally, an improvement from their first two games. Still, the absence of Kiefer Ravena's dynamism on offense and steady hands during the course of offensive execution is sorely missed. 

-Ateneo mus push the ball: I told a personal acquaintance recently that Coach Bo Perasol was caught between a rock and a hard place. The Eagles are two small to succeed in half court sets and too inconsistent on unathletic on the perimeter to rely predominantly on a transition type offense. What we have gotten from the Defending Champs recently has been a steady diet of isolation plays, wild transition forays, and perimeter sets involving some cagers who should not be relied on to shoot 20 foot jumpers. Think this past season's La Lakers doing the Mike D'Antoni dance. Frank Golla will never be a jump shooter. Juami Tiongson will never be a complete creator off the dribble. Jp Erram is not a post threat. We have ballet dancers in military boots here. Ateneo has to then figure out how it play hybrid without going on long offensive droughts which lead to lost games.

-Ateneo needs to be quicker with defending the "backdoor": I probably saw 3 or 4 plays in today's game wherein Arnold Van Opstal from La Salle managed to shake loose for layups because of delayed rotations off of Eagles switches. These backdoor conversations have led Ateneo's big men getting into foul trouble quickly. Case in point- Frank Golla and Jp Erram both fouled out today after having subpar outings on both ends.

-To not lag behind on offense, take it to the hole, or, drive and kick: While the Eagles forced the issue on transition a lot of times in today's game versus La Salle, it seemed that there were not enough times when Ateneo could distinguish when to penetrate, and when to drive and kick. In the 4th quarter of the match, Ryan Buenafe settled for 20 foot jumpshots instead of driving to the basket and trying to draw Jerron Teng's fifth foul. Chris Newsome may have scored 27 points, but did not force his way into the paint in the final frame when La Salle tended to go man to man. Drive and kicks did not happen when La Salle went into 2-3 zones. All in all, there ought to be more discernment in as far as execution is concerned. These lapses in judgment lead to broken possessions.

-No go to scorer? No problem. Get to the foul line: Getting to the foul line less than ten times in a ballgame does not a champion squad make. An offense predicated on penetration and ocassional perimeter sniping should lead to more opportunities at the charity stripe. As a team, the Eagles shoot better than 75 percent from the line. Without chances at the line, Ateneo deprives itself of additional points otherwise attained through complex sequences brought about by the lack of an established scorer. Why deprive beautiful plants of water? Why move away from a scrumptuous hamburger if you aren't are not on a diet anyway? Why walk, when you can run? Why stand still when you can fish for fouls? Get the point? 

0-3 is not an impossible hole to crawl out of, but it also poses the greatest challenge the Eagles have seen in recent memory. For a University with a basketball program with such a rabid, winning, culture, one has to assume that Ateneo will somehow bounce back from their recent setbacks. Like a beer that gives you a satisfying kick after a cold trip down your gullet, the Eagles will likely claw their way back to respectability, or at least, go down swinging.

MC