ateneo-lasalle

UAAP Season 80 Championship: A Big Redemption for the Blue Eagles

Big Finals victory against La Salle completes a turnaround season for Ateneo

After winning last year’s UAAP championship, the De La Salle Green Archers came into the UAAP Season 80 as the favorites to repeat as champions as they had Ben Mbala, the now two-time MVP, on board. 
Although they were defeated by the UP Fighting Maroons and the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles back in the first round, they literally and figuratively stormed into the Final 4 by ending Ateneo’s 13-game winning streak. Then, the defending champions disposed the Adamson Falcons in their lone Final 4 game to enter the Finals for the second straight season.
On the other hand, aside from seeing their 13-game winning streak snapped by the Archers, the Ateneo Blue Eagles had to sweat it out against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws who forced a do-or-die game that even went into an extra period. If not to Isaac Go’s heroics, that 13-1 record that Ateneo established would have been for naught. 
Coming into the best-of-3 championship series, everyone was expecting it to be a bloody affair owing to the fact that it was between Ateneo and La Salle. And it turned out to be a bloody war indeed as blood from both sides was spilled onto the court, numerous times. 
Game 1 went to the guys in blue after a heroic outing from none other than Isaac Go. Game 2, on the other hand, went to the men in green as La Salle erased a 21-point deficit that forced a Game 3. 

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The third game of the series was a beauty to behold as it was filled with non-stop, amazing basketball action from start to finish. In the end,  the Blue Eagles successfully avoided another late-game meltdown after beating the Archers, 88-86- to bring back the crown to Katipunan. 

Redemption

If anything, this championship that Ateneo won showed their determination to redeem their themselves all season long after losing last year’s championship series due to the inexperience of the team, most especially Thirdy Ravena who made costly mistakes in that series. 
Ravena, the Finals MVP this season, has improved tremendously as he contributed to the success of the team not just by scoring on monstrous dunks but, by being a facilitator, a great rebounder and, a defender as well. 
Isaac Go also redeemed himself after missing the potential game-winner against La Salle back in the second round. He rescued the Eagles thrice this season, once against FEU and twice in the Finals- the last one being the booming trey that statistically iced up the Eagles’ victory in Game 3. And, Isaac Go’s “clutchness” even made Norman Black- the man behind Ateneo’s 5-peat run, dance. 
Chibueze Ikeh failed to defend Ben Mbala down low in Game 3 but that didn’t stop him playing his best game of the season after scoring 12 points- including that big dunk late in the 4th quarter, while also grabbing 13 rebounds- 8 from the offensive end. He ended his UAAP career with a championship to savor. What a way to redeem from the previous two seasons that were filled with turmoil, right?

Conclusion

Ateneo will lose three players to graduation next season. However, this would mean that Isaac Go will play a bigger role in the Eagles’ title defense. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves folks. Let Ateneo savor this victory for a little while. After all, it has been 5 years since that last title, right?

How Can Ateneo Win Game 3?

Beating La Salle in a championship is difficult but doable

Coming into the Season 80 of the UAAP, everyone was expecting one team to dominate the season like it did last year. That team, of course, is none other than the De La Salle Green Archers who are now being led by two-time MVP Ben Mbala. However, the Green Archers were dealt with a surprising loss by the UP Fighting Maroons and of course, bowing down to the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles at the end of the first round.
The Archers, however, ended the Eagles’ 13-game winning streak which ensured a Final 4. La Salle then faced and beat the Adamson Falcons in their Final 4 match-up- a game which was put into question due to what the Falcons’ coaching staff thought was a biased officiating. The game was reviewed by the UAAP Board and found that there were questionable fouls that were called against both teams but, no replay of the game was required.
This year’s Finals series between Ateneo and La Salle is more unpredictable than it was last year. Ateneo won Game 1 after a hard-fought battle but La Salle came back to win Game 2 by erasing a 21-point deficit.
As a result, we’ll have Ateneo-La Salle. One more time. Tomorrow. All for the championship.
Question: Can Ateneo win it all tomorrow?

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Yes. Provided…

The Blue Eagles can win the championship tomorrow if:
  1. Defend Ben Mbala. They’ve already done that in the first round and in Game 1 of the Finals. Go back to those games and look at how they were able to limit the offensive output of the reigning MVP. You do that. You increase the chance of beating the champs.
  2. Sustain their intensity. One of the many reasons why La Salle was able to force a Game 3 was the inability of the Blue Eagles to sustain a big margin after working hard to build that lead during the early goings of the game. If Ateneo is to win the championship, they will need to find ways to hold onto the lead. Sustain a high level of energy throughout the entire game.
  3. Consistency. This is one of the things Ateneo was sorely lacking during the rest of Game 2. They were hot offensively during the entire first quarter but went ice-cold during the rest of the game.The Blue Eagles need to maintain their consistency especially when shooting from the three-point line. 

    Conclusion

    Ateneo will be faced with a daunting task that seems impossible at first. But if you come to think of it, Tab Baldwin and his boys have beaten the men in green twice already this season. They just need to rediscover how they were able to win those games. 

    Basketball God Prepared a Winner-Take-All Game 3 Between DLSU and Ateneo

    The game 2 of the UAAP 80 men’s basketball between the arch-rival Ateneo Blue Eagles and the De La Salle Green Archers is one for the ages. Another great story was added between the rivalry of the two teams as the Green Archers had their biggest comeback in the biggest stage of the competition.
    The Ateneo Blue Eagles looked poised and eager earlier in game 2 of the UAAP 80 men’s basketball as they took a lead as high as 20 points in the first quarter. The Blue Eagles took a 32-15 lead against the Green Archers as they shot the lights out and the Green Archers had a slow start. Ricci Rivero and Ben Mbala were forced to sit down as they picked up 2 early fouls individually. The Blue Eagles took advantage of the absence of Mbala from the inside and also executed their plays very well that made their shooters open.

    In the second quarter, the Green Archers bounced back as they made a run and they outscored the Blue Eagles 27-19. However, the struggle continued for the Green Archers as Mbala had 3 fouls and Ricci Rivero had 4. Andrei Caracut and Kib Montalbo took the game into their hands as both led the defense and offense for the Green Archers and they were able to cut the lead to just 9 at the end of the first half.
    It is in the second half that things got interesting. The hot hands of Ateneo that shot 6 for 12 from the three-point line got cold as they only made one of their eleven attempts beyond the arc. The Green Archers took advantage of the struggling Ateneo and Ricci Rivero whose eyes were filled with tears when he committed his 4th foul during the first half is now filled with fire. The Green Archers ignited their run with an alley-oop made by Mbala. The Blue Eagles struggled and only scored 8 points while the Green Archers scored 26 big points.
    The Green Archers did not look back in the fourth quarter and sealed the game. DLSU won 92-83.  Ben Mbala finished with 20 points while Ricci Rivero finished the game with 18 points. Andrei Caracut and Aljun Melecio had 13 and 12 points respectively.
    Thirdy Ravena led the scoring for the Blue Eagles with 20 points and Aron Black contributed 15 points. Asistio and Isaac Go also had 13 points and 11 points respectively.
    The game 3 will happen on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum and the rivalry between this two schools will just get better. Only the basketball god knows what is destined and Ateneo and De La Salle are both ready to meet their destiny. 

    Another Collapse: La Salle Erases a 21-Point Lead, Force Game 3

    2-time MVP Ben Mala comes up with big numbers

    Ben Mbala recovered from his worst career game to help La Salle force a Game 3.
    Coming into this best-of-three Finals series, the De La Salle Green Archers are tagged as the heavy favorites to win the championship anew owing to the fact that they have the two-time MVP Ben Mbala and an equally impressive sophomore in Ricci Rivero leading the team plus a surging Aljun Melecio. And, the Archers handed the top-seeded Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles their only loss in the 14-game elimination round which subsequently denied the Eagles an outright slot in the Finals.
    But came along Game 1. The Blue Eagles surprised everyone else when they limited La Salle’s scoring machine, Ben Mbala, to a career-worst 8 points on 3 for 7 shooting. And Ateneo came away with a 76-70 win to move a win away from the championship.
    In Game 2, everyone was expecting La Salle to fight back right from the opening tip but, it was still Ateneo who went up by as high as 21 points. However, that was the last of it as the defense of the Green and White finally started to click in during the second quarter which allowed La Salle to come within 9 points at the half- en route to taking Game 2 on a 92-83 win over the Eagles which set-up a winner-take-all match on Sunday.
    How did it happen?  Below are the numbers:

    The Mbala Effect. Plus More

    As mentioned above, Ben Mbala was hardly a factor during the series’ opener but in the second game, the two-time MVP made sure that his presence was felt on both sides of the court as he led La Salle with 20 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 blocks. However, Mbala wasn’t alone either. Ricci Rivero, despite having 4 fouls before halftime, scored 18 points while the dynamic duo of Aljun Melecio and Andrei Caracut combined for 25 points. 

    Third Quarter Defense

    La Salle gave up 32 points in the first quarter alone when they allowed Ateneo to build that big lead. Defense enabled the Green Archers to cut down the lead to 9 points at the half and from there, it was all La Salle. Aldin Ayo’s boys played stingy defense in the 3rd quarter which limited Ateneo to only 8 points on a horrible 3 for 17 shooting. La Salle on the other had 26 points in that 3rd quarter- making 9 of their 14 attempts.

    Ateneo’s Ice-Cold Shooting from 3

    Ateneo has been known as a team who likes to shoot threes. In the first half of Game 2, the Blue Eagles went 6 for 12 from the three-point line- 3 from Anton Asistio in the first quarter alone, things went south the rest of the way for the Blue and White as they only converted one of their ELEVEN attempts from rainbow country during the entire second half. Overall, La Salle’s defense limited Ateneo to only 34% field goal shooting. 

    Conclusion

    Simply put it this way: Ateneo needs to learn how to hold onto that big lead if they are to win Game 3. For La Salle, on the other hand, they need to find a way to clamp down on D during the early goings of the game because they cannot rely on Ben Mbala to get them to the promised land. 
    Game 3 is on Sunday. Who will win? This basketball pundit on wheels says it’s gonna be La Salle. Again. Why? Unless Tab Baldwin has something in mind to contain the MVP, Mbala will be unstoppable. As he was in Game 2.