THE ATENEO Blue Eagles hoped to come back from the heartbreaking overtime loss to the Far Eastern University Tamaraws during Sunday’s game against archrivals De La Salle University (DLSU). Unfortunately, the team continued to struggle with the absence of star guard Kiefer Ravena, and they ultimately lost to the Archers with a final score of 82-73.
The Eagles came out strong early on, leading by a 10-point scoring outburst by Chris Newsome. The former New Mexico University guard displayed his acclaimed athleticism and used a number of powerful drives to the basket on his way to setting a University Athletics Association of the Philippines career-high of 27 points.
Not to be outdone, the combined efforts of veterans Nico Elorde and Ryan Buenafe helped the team with some key fast break buckets to push the lead to 18-12 before the Archers finally called a timeout with 2:38 left in the first quarter. The Ateneo attack was fueled mainly by their aggressive trapping defense, rattling the Archers into costly turnovers that Head Coach Bo Persol’s boys capitalized on.
The timeout briefly extinguished the Eagles’ momentum, however, as they committed several unnecessary fouls to help De La Salle close the gap at 20-16 to end the quarter.
The second quarter started off sloppily, with both sides showing stagnant offenses. The first buckets finally came with 7:27 left in the quarter, courtesy of back-to-back post moves made by DLSU’s towering 6’7 center Arnold Van Opstal. The Ateneo quickly countered with a Juami Tiongson corner three-pointer and a Newsome free-throw line jumper to take a 27-20 lead with 5:48 left in the quarter.
The scoring binge continued for the Blue and White as they pushed the pace to breakneck speed. Feeding off De La Salle’s turnovers, forward Von Pessumal and team captain Tiongson took turns in punishing the Archers’ interior. The effort of DLSU gunner Jeron Teng during the Ateneo run fell short, as DLSU went into their locker room down 40-28 at halftime.
The break seemed to re-energize the Archers, and they started the second half with an intensified defensive effort. DLSU cut the double-digit deficit in a matter of minutes. The deadly combination of Almond Vosotros and Luigi Dela Paz led the De La Salle attack, both contributing immensely during the run.
Finally, at the two-minute mark, a Vosotros inside shot tied the game at 50-50. Van Opstal and team captain Norberto Torres also contributed, patrolling the paint and enforcing their will on the much smaller Ateneo frontcourt. A three-point play by Van Opstal against rookie Vince Tolentino punctuated the comeback, ending the quarter with the score of 58-56 in favor of DLSU.
The Eagles failed to recover in the fourth quarter. The De La Salle counter stemmed from an increase in their defensive pressure, challenging the intensity that the Blue Eagles had in the first half. Though the Blue Eagles continued to fight, they could not match the likes of Van Opstal, who dominated the Eagles to the tune of 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Buenafe and Tiongson tried to salvage the win with several three-pointers that unfortunately missed their mark. The dagger came at the 1:47 mark when Dela Paz connected on a three-pointer from the wing, pushing DLSU’s lead to 77-70.
The game finally ended with Newsome getting fouled on a desperation shot. He made one free throw to make the final score 82-73 in favor of the DLSU Archers.
Despite the loss, the play of Newsome continues to be a revelation for the Eagles. The absence of Ravena has forced the high-flying guard into a more integral role. Aside from his game-high 27 points, Newsome also went 11-12 from the field.
The disparity between the frontcourt of both teams was highlighted in the game. With Ravena unavailable to provide the scoring and the Green Archers boasting a frontcourt of Van Opstal, Torres and Jason Perkins, the Ateneo needed their frontcourt to contribute and step up in a big way.
The lackluster play of Ateneo’s big men, including JP Erram—who only played a total of six minutes before fouling out early in the fourth quarter—further hampered the Blue Eagles’ chances of pulling out a victory.
With the loss, the Blue Eagles remain at the bottom of the team standings with a winless record. The last time the Blue Eagles started 0-3 was back in 1994. Perasol and his troops will try to secure their first victory in Season 76 when they go up against Season 76 host Adamson University on Sunday, July 14, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Box scores:
ADMU 73 – Newsome 27, Tiongson 14, Buenafe 11, Pessumal 10, Erram 6, Elorde 3, Golla 2, Tolentino 0, Capacio 0, Babilonia 0.
DLSU 82 – Vosotros 19, Van Opstal 18, Teng 13, Dela Paz 10, Perkins 9, Torres T. 8, Torres N. 5, Reyes 0, Montalbo 0, Bolick 0.
