Blue Eagles snare Bulldogs, near Final Four bonus
Greg Slaughter scores 22 points while Bobby Ray Parks Jr. was limited to a season-low 11 points in Ateneo and NU’s second meeting in the eliminations.
MANILA, Philippines—Ateneo’s Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva ganged up on National University in the second half, leading the Blue Eagles to a 70-56 rout of the Bulldogs and within a win of the twice-to-beat semifinal bonus in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament Thursday at Philsports Arena.
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Slaughter and Salva combined in a 12-2 fourth-quarter outburst that towed the Blue Eagles to their biggest advantage, 68-50, after a tight first half where the Bulldogs even came out on top, 33-31, at the break.
“I’m pretty happy with the defensive effort,” said coach Norman Black after his four-time champions also held NU star Ray Parks to a season-low 11 points.
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Slaughter got away with many easy shots from underneath to finish with 22 points on top of seven rebounds and three blocks as the Blue Eagles also solidified their hold of the top spot with an 11-2 record.
Earlier, Roger Pogoy came out firing for the second straight game as Far Eastern University nipped University of the Philippines, 67-63, to grab a share of second at 9-3.
Pogoy, who shot a career-high 17 in his last outing, nailed all but one of seven attempts from the field to finish with 16 points.
“We were able to control the boards and score on fastbreaks,” said coach Bert Flores after his Tamaraws survived the Maroons’ strong endgame challenge.
The Bulldogs fell into a share of fourth place with idle La Salle at 7-5.
The scores:
First Game
FEU 67—Pogoy 16, Romeo 13, Garcia 11, Belo 7, Hargrove 5, Escoto 4, M. Bringas 4, A. Bringas 3, Mendoza 2, Cruz 2, Iñigo 0.
UP 63—Silungan 12, Padilla 11, Soyud 8, Montecastro 7, Ball 6, Manuel 5, Lopez 4, Hipolito 3, Gamboa 3, Mbah 2, Asilum 2, Romero 0, Gallarza 0.
Quarters: 16-18, 34-34, 53-48, 67-63
Second Game
ATENEO 70—Slaughter 22, Salva 14, Ravena 14, Tiongson 6, Elorde 5, Buenafe 3, Sumalinog 2, Golla 2, Chua 2, Pessumal 0, Gonzaga 0.
NU 56—Mbe 19, Javillonar 15, Parks 11, De Guzman 5, Rosario 2, Khobuntin 2, Alolino 2, Villamor 0, Roño 0, Betayene 0.
Quarters: 16-17, 31-33, 56-45, 70-56
