BACK ON track. After falling short in a comeback effort in their previous game against University of the East (UE), the Ateneo Blue Eagles are back on track with a 72-64 victory over University of the Philippines (UP) on Sunday, July 21, at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
Coach Bo Perasol’s troops got off to a quick start, building a 10-4 advantage out of the gates. UP, however, would not let the game slip away early. Led by Joseph Marata’s nine points, the Fighting Maroons kept the game close in the initial stages.
Team captain Juami Tiongson led Ateneo with seven points in the first quarter, which ended with the Blue Eagles ahead by two, 19-17.
With Marata firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, Perasol adjusted his defense by double-teaming the former De La Salle University shooter. Ateneo’s defensive strategy proved to be successful, keeping Marata scoreless during the entire second quarter.
Despite Marata being held back, UP found a way to take a 28-27 lead on a Chris Ball second-chance basket. Ball made the Blue Eagles pay for their decision to focus on Marata on defense. The 6’5” Canyon High School standout tallied eight points in the second quarter to lead UP’s charge.
With momentum suddenly shifting to UP’s side, veteran Ryan Buenafe stepped up for the Blue Eagles. Buenafe went on an 8-0 run by himself, including back-to-back triples, to silence the UP crowd and give the Ateneo a 35-28 lead. Jason Ligad made two free throws for UP before Kiefer Ravena found a wide-open Nico Elorde for a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the half.
After allowing UP to momentarily take the lead, the Blue Eagles utilized an 11-2 scoring outburst to go into halftime up 38-30. The Ateneo’s 6/12 shooting from behind the arc and nine points off of UP’s six turnovers were crucial in allowing them to gain an edge in the first 24 minutes of action.
The third quarter saw Kiefer Ravena and Chris Newsome take over the game. Ravena, who was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season, teamed-up with Newsome to score 15 of the team’s 19 third quarter points. With the duo taking control of the game, the Blue Eagles led by as many as 19 points and entered the final frame ahead, 57-40.
Despite holding a huge margin with just 12 minutes left to play, the Blue Eagles were well aware that the game was far from over. Perasol warned his players not to slack off against the Fighting Maroons, saying that UP was a “dangerous team.”
The Blue Eagles saw just how dangerous their opponent could get as they watched their double-digit lead get trimmed down to as low as eight points after a Marata three-pointer closed the gap to 70-62. Marata, who vanished in the second and third quarters after a strong start, reappeared in the fourth. He recorded 11 points in the final quarter, including three makes from long range.
With UP turning in a furious rally, Tiongson found Newsome for an emphatic alley-oop on a fast break play that proved to be the final nail in UP’s coffin.
The win improves the Ateneo’s win-loss record to 2-4 while it keeps UP winless at the bottom of the team standings. “We can finish 3-4. We can still be in third or fourth,” Perasol pointed out at the post-game press conference.
Perasol also shared a pre-game conversation he had with Buenafe, who was hurt in the UE game after rolling his ankle in a bad landing. “I asked him, ‘Ryan, are you okay?’ He answered, ‘Coach, walang panahon umaray dito. Kailangan na natin manalo.’ (‘Coach, there is no time to cry out in pain. We need to win.)”
The Ateneo has one game left in their first round schedule. The Blue Eagles will look to close out the first half of the elimination round on a high note when they face Season 75 Finals opponent University of Santo Tomas on Saturday, July 27, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Box scores
ADMU 72 – Ravena 15, Buenafe 13, Newsome 13, Tiongson 9, Golla 6, Elorde 4, Erram 4, Pessumal 4, Capacio 2, Tolentino 2, Asistio 0, Lim 0, Murphy 0.
UP 64 – Marata 22, Ball 10, Ligad 10, Soyud 8, Lao 7, Desiderio 3, Asilum 2, Wong 2, Amar 0, Gallarza 0, Gingerich 0, Pascual 0, Suarez 0.
