THE ATENEO Blue Eagles concluded the first round of eliminations of UAAP Season 76 triumphing over the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, 61-57, on Saturday, July 27, 2013 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Growling Tiger Kevin Ferrer started the game with a jumper to give UST a 0-2 lead. This was followed by two more baskets from Aljon Mariano. Despite the quick start, Ateneo’s stellar defense would hold UST to just six points in the first quarter.
The Eagles quickly capitalized on UST’s poor scoring by embarking on an 11-0 run to make the score 15-4 at the two-and-a-half-minute mark. The rally began with a basket from Kiefer Ravena on the open court. He would go on to score another layup off an assist from Juami Tiongson, and followed by a three-point basket to score seven of the 11 points of Ateneo’s run. Ateneo’s command of the first quarter was capped off with a lay-in off a steal by Chris Newsome, closing the period 19-6 in favor of the Blue and White.
Determined to gain the lead, the Growling Tigers opened the second quarter with aggressive play. Mariano continued to lead the team as he began the quarter with a solid block on Von Pessumal. The Tigers proceeded to outscore the Eagles for the remainder of the half of the quarter as Mariano continued to dominate the paint, scoring eight of UST’s last 10 points in the quarter.
After a shot by Ateneo’s rookie forward Vince Tolentino at the eight-minute mark in the second, the Eagles were limited to just six more points, all scored on the line. At the half, the score was at 21-27, still in favor of Ateneo.
To begin the second half, Ravena sank the first of his two threes making the score 30-21. At the 8:45 minute mark, Buenafe found Newsome who once again showcased his highflying skills as he rose up for a slam that brought the entire Ateneo gallery up on its feet. Kim Lo would, however, cut Ateneo’s celebration short by answering with a three, making the score 32-24, with less than eight minutes of play left in the third.
Ferrer followed up to maintain the Blue Eagles’ lead, 34-28. It was Team Captain Tiongson who silenced the UST crowd with a three pointer of his own from the left corner, extending the lead, 37-28.
Despite losing ground, UST remained unfazed as the backcourt tandem of Clark Bautista and Eduardo Daquioag combined for back-to-back threes in the last minute of the third. Pessumal responded sinking in his own three-pointer, ending the third quarter, 47-39 in favor of the Blue and White.
In the final quarter, UST’s surge began at the six-minute mark with a five-point explosion from Daquioag. The guard fearlessly drove in for a dunk and then proceeded to shoot a three, cutting the lead to 46-49. Buenafe quickly answered by making his lone three of the game, bringing the lead back to six, 46-52.
With 21.3 seconds left in the ball game, the Tigers cut the lead down to two, 57-59, on another Bautista three, which officials had to review twice for confirmation. Bautista’s trey would however be the last for Tigers as Ravena put the game away for good when he split his free throws with 5.7 seconds left in the game, making the final score 61-57.
Coach Bo Perasol gives credit to the veterans of the team for keeping their composure. He says, “The others can always fight it off in the first, second, third quarter but during crunch time, we need stability; we need people who have already been there before. That’s what Kiefer, Ryan and the other veterans bring.”
The win currently puts the Eagles at fourth place in the standings with a 3-4 win-loss standing. The Tigers on the other hand, lost the opportunity to take a solid hold of second place as the loss has pushed them to a tie with the University of the East Red Warriors, who also stand at four wins and three losses.
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Box scores:
ADMU 61 – Ravena 13, Newsome 10, Tiongson 9, Buenafe 9, Golla 8, Capacio 4, Pessumal 3, Tolentino 2, Erram 2, Elorde 1.
UST 57 – Mariano 16, Daquioag 12, Bautista 11, Ferrer 9, Abdul 6, Lo 3, So 0, Pe 0, Hainga 0.
