WHERE’S THE BALL? The scramble for the ball sends Luis de la Paz and Almond Vosotros of De La Salle University on all fours during the UAAP game on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Behind them are Luis Gonzaga and Justine Chua of Ateneo de Manila, which scored 79 versus De La Salle’s 62. PHOTO BY AUGUST DE LA CRUZ
MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo flaunted its arsenal even with center Greg Slaughter hobbled with early foul trouble as the Blue Eagles cruised past La Salle, 79-62, Sunday in the 74th UAAP seniors basketball tournament.
But it was a gamble — something coach Norman Black doesn’t usually do — of keeping Slaughter in the game with three fouls that spelt the difference.
The Blue Eagles, in clinching the first twice-to-beat incentive, broke away in the third quarter as Slaughter’s presence opened up surplus of scoring chances for Kiefer Ravena, Nico Salva and Tonino Gonzaga.
“When Greg [Slaughter] went down in the first half, we didn’t really have a post up game,” said Black, who notched his 90th win with the Blue Eagles since he took the coaching reins in 2005.
“Having him back in the game was our biggest adjustment, because it doesn’t really matter if he touches the ball or not,” added Black.
Fourth year swingman Salva racked up 19 points — 13 in the second half — as he first gave Ateneo a commanding 42-29 lead with 5:06 in the third which ballooned up to as big as 21 points, 78-57 with a minute left in the game.
Ravena tipped his average with 13 points and six rebounds while Emman Monfort and Gonzaga added 13 and 12 markers respectively.
The only threat the Green Archers posed was an 8-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarter, sparked by diminutive slasher Almond Vosotros, who finished with nine points.
But the Blue Eagles, who also inched closer to a sweep of the elimination round, doused the uprising with nine unanswered points triggered by one of Gonzaga’s two treys that brought the lead back to 62-46 with 7:40 in the fourth.
La Salle, which was paced by rookie center Arnold Van Opstal in its losing cause, is tied with National University at fifth with a 4-7 slate.
Although flickering, hopes for a spot in the final four by the Archers remain alive with still three games left in the elimination round as they trail just two full games behind University of Santo Tomas (6-5).