Photo by Mario T. Dagdag

GOING INTO their second game in five days, the Ateneo Blue Eagles faced a tough contender in the form of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers. This task proved too much for the Blue and White as they lost by a single point, 71-70, on July 19 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Growling Tigers were dealt with a loss of the same margin in their opening encounter with FEU, but this time the chances went in their favor.

Ateneo took the lead early into the first quarter, leading to a 10-2 run, three minutes in. Utilizing their frustrating man-to-man defense, the Blue Eagles kept UST advances at bay. In addition, the Tigers found themselves in the penalty early on, which made their plays less aggressive than they should have been.

The Katipunan-based contingent then took the initiative with numerous run-and-gun plays, coupled with free throws off fouls. They then closed the quarter with another run, 12-0, topped off with a Nico Salva three-pointer at the death, ending the quarter at 27-12.

UST opened the second quarter attempting to cut their deficit as Ateneo struggled to convert. Scoring six unanswered, Coach Pido Jarencio’s men inched themselves closer, trailing by just eight points. Despite this, Salva and Kiefer Ravena had other plans. The duo scored six and eight points respectively, with UST managing to just tally a six in a span of five minutes.

Aside from JP Erram’s unsportsmanlike foul, Ateneo had an otherwise dominant quarter, going into halftime up, 43-28, after another last-minute Salva conversion.

The opening of the second half featured another attempted fight back by the Tigers courtesy of Jeric Fortuna and Clark Bautista. However, Ravena and Salva then scored six points in quick succession that canceled out UST’s efforts.

But just when the quarter looked like it was going to be Ateneo’s again, Tiger forward Aljon Mariano showed exactly why Blue Eagles head coach Norman Black noted the danger he possesses.

The former San Beda Red Cub lit up the scoreboard — scoring layups, jumpers and a three-pointer. The Ateneo five also found it difficult to find chances, ultimately losing the lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. Jeric Teng then managed to beat the buzzer as UST closed the quarter with the advantage, 58-54.

As the last quarter carried on, UST seemed to have figured out the Blue Eagles. Wriggling off defensive challenges, they did the most damage with that extra pass to an open man. Teng also decided to make his intentions known by knocking down a three with four minutes left in the game. This may have been the turning point of the afternoon’s match which left Norman Black’s men faced with a seven-point deficit.

Only until the last two minutes did the Blue Eagles push for a win. Their efforts proved fruitless though, despite Juami Tiongson burying a three with four seconds in the clock. With UST up a point with only a second left, Teng intentionally missed his free throws. Time expired as the ball left Slaughter’s hands and drifted out of bounds.

After having a sub-par game in his standards, Ravena scored 19 points with five rebounds. Salva also contributed 17 and eight boards, but had five turnovers. Tiongson had a near double-double, scoring eight points coupled with nine assists.

In addition, turnovers were the Blue Eagles’ bane, committing 18.

Mariano, on the other hand, scored 21 points to go along with 13 rebounds. In fact, four out of the five Growling Tigers ended the game in double-digits, in contrast to Ateneo’s two.

This is Ateneo’s second game of the week, with a third coming up on Sunday, July 22, against the National University Bulldogs at 4PM in the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Box Scores:

UST – Mariano 21, Teng 16, Abdul 14, Fortuna 11, Ferrer 4, Bautista 3, Lo 2

Ateneo – Ravena 19, Salva 17, Slaughter 9, Tiongson 8, Buenafe 5, Sumalinog 4, Elorde 3, Chua 3, Golla 2