FIVE-TIME DEFENDING champions Ateneo began their Season 76 men’s basketball campaign with a 64-54 loss to National University (NU) at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.

The revamped Blue Eagles roster had trouble scoring early, recording just 32 points after three quarters. The team’s offensive struggles were highlighted even more by their poor performance from behind the arc. With the inside presence of former players Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva no longer available, the team tried to rely on their outside shooting but only connected on 7 of their 33 attempts.

Aside from their offensive woes, the Blue Eagles also had to endure the absence of Kiefer Ravena for a majority of the game. Ravena initially wasn’t supposed to suit up for the season opener due to a sprained right ankle, but warmed up with the rest of the team.

Minutes before the game, Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter Jasmine Payo posted a tweet that had new Head Coach Bo Perasol discussing Ravena’s availability. “I will have to weigh during the game if fielding him will benefit the team,” Perasol had told Payo in an interview. However, throughout his limited time in the first half, Ravena was clearly bothered by his injury. This prompted Perasol to end Ravena’s night early and the man dubbed as “The Phenom” did not return in the match’s second half.

While Ateneo’s star was dealing with an injury, NU’s Bobby Ray Parks Jr. was busy leading his team to a blowout victory. The Season 75 MVP posted 22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Parks had enough support throughout the game as Emmanuel Mbe had a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds. Dennice Villamor also added 13 points on 3-5 shooting from downtown for the Bulldogs who led by as much as 24 points.

Despite the loss, the Blue Eagles turned in a promising fourth quarter where they outscored NU, 22-14. In the final frame, the boys in blue rallied behind Nico Elorde, who suffered from a bloody nose earlier in the game, and Juami Tiongson, who led the team in scoring with 13 points.

After NU built its biggest lead at 35-59 on a triple by Villamor, the Blue Eagles went on a 16-2 run which included 8 points from Elorde and another 6 from Tiongson. The run closed the gap to 10 at 51-61, but that would be the closest the Blue Eagles would get. Parks would then put an end to the run by hitting another three-pointer and sealing the deal for NU in the process.

Another bright spot for the Blue Eagles was the play of Chris Newsome. Newsome was a point shy from a double-double in his Blue Eagle debut, tallying 9 points and 10 rebounds. Veteran Ryan Buenafe also contributed 10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists.

In the end, the hole that the Blue Eagles dug proved to be too deep for them to climb out of.

Box scores:

ADMU 54 – Tiongson 13, Elorde 10, Buenafe 10, Newsome 9, Erram 4, Ravena 2, Pessumal 2, Golla 2, Capacio 2, Tolentino 0, Babilonia 0

NU 64 – Parks 22, Mbe 14, Villamor 13, Javillonar 5, Alolino 4, Rosario 2, Khobuntin 2, Alejandro 2, Rono 0, De Guzman 0