FilOil: Ateneo survives feisty undermanned Letran

Ateneo de Manila University head coach Norman Black was nowhere to be found, but his team still made his winning presence felt. Reeling from rust, the ADMU Blue Eagles still managed to pull themselves together late to narrowly escape the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights, 55-51, in the first game of a new season of the FilOil Flying V Pre-season Tournament, Saturday at the Arena in San Juan. Greg Slaughter notched a mighty double-double, scoring 14 points to go along with 15 rebounds and three blocks, and last season's FilOil MVP Kiefer Ravena had 13 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals, but the reigning tournament champions looked vulnerable for several stretches of the game. A flurry of shots and a 10-for-13 showing at the free throw line gave Ateneo a 31-21 lead heading into the second half, but both teams were for the most part cold in the game's first 20 minutes, with ADMU converting just nine of their 33 attempts, while their NCAA counterparts were even worse, six out of 30 total. In the third, Letran caught Ateneo’s fast break defense unaware, following a technical foul called on the Blue Eagles' coaching staff for improper bench decorum. With guards Kevin Racal and Mark Cruz picking up pace and scoring easy baskets, Letran chipped away at the lead. And-one baskets from power forward Jam Cortes and Racal kept the game within striking distance for the Knights, 43-40, with 1:03 left in the period. A put-back by Blue Eagle Nico Salva gave Ateneo some breathing room, only for Jamil Gabawan to nail a lay-up that brought the difference down to three points again, as Coach Louie Alas' boys closed the quarter down by just three, 45-42. The sophomore spitfire Cruz continued his stellar guard play in the fourth, using his agility to make quick drives in the lane and create space for easy jumpers. Ateneo managed to find answers to Letran’s offensive spurts, but both teams’ defenses clamped down on each other, resulting in five 24-second shot clock infractions, four committed by Ateneo. A three by Letran guard Carlo Lituania tied the game at 49-all, 4:57 remaining in the game, but "The Phenom" Ravena answered with a triple of his own to regain the lead for Ateneo. Later on, a pair of free throws and a crucial block by Slaughter gave Ateneo safe distance, while a split by Ravena closed out the game for the Eagles, 55-51. The Blue Eagles squad featured some familiar faces, with point forward Ryan Buenafe and former DLSU guard Nico Elorde strutting their stuff for the second unit. Despite short stints, Buenafe had one rebound and three assists while Elorde chipped in two points and an assist. Ateneo had many holes in their game, with sloppy passing and teammates still in the "getting to know you" phase leading to 22 turnovers. Those miscues gave Letran 11 points, but the Blue Eagles did just as well, with 10 markers off 14 Knights' errors. Coach Black, who was in America to attend a coaching conference in Indiana, turned the coaching cudgels over to Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga, who played the whole roster, save for guards Isaac Lim and Bon Jovi Cipriano. Letran can take comfort in the tight nature of the game, considering that they played without last season's NCAA Most Improved Player center Raymond Almazan, while Mythical Five member Kevin Alas saw just one play late in the game, as a decoy, due to a foot sprain. Jam Cortes led all scorers with 15 markers, plus eight boards, three dimes and two blocks. Racal and Cruz had 10 points each, while Carlo Lituania added eight for the upcoming NCAA season hosts. - AMD, GMA News The scores: ADMU 55 - Slaughter 14, Ravena 13, Gonzaga 7, Tiongson 4, Chua 4, Elorde 2, Erram 2, Salva 2, Capacio 2, Porter 2, Golla 1, Sumalinog 1, Buenafe 1, Pessumal 0, Babilonia 0 CSJL 51 - Cortes 15, Racal 10, Cruz 10, Lituania 8, Gabriel 6, Gabawan 2, Belorio 0, J. alas 0, Pantin 0, Luib 0, K. Alas 0, Cudal 0 Quarter-scoring: 16-12, 31-21, 45-42, 55-51 FilOil 041412 ADMU vs CSJL