THE ATENEO Blue Eagles started the second round of their Season 76 campaign on a high note. The five-time defending champions bested the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 67-59, on Thursday, August 15, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum to sweep the season series between the two squads.
UP’s Samuel Marata, the game’s leading scorer with 15 markers, waxed hot from beyond the arc with all of his points coming from three-point conversions. But floor general Juami Tiongson kept the Eagles within striking distance, making timely baskets just when the Fighting Maroons were about to go on a run, chipping in 11 markers.
The first quarter saw a back and forth battle with both teams exchanging baskets in the early minutes of the game. However, the last minute favored the Diliman-based squad as the Blue Eagles turned the ball over and took forced shots, giving the Maroons a number of opportunities to score. Kyles Lao led UP’s transition game, capitalizing on the Blue Eagles’ mistakes as he scored four of his nine points in the last minute of the quarter.
After the first 10 minutes of action, the Fighting Maroons found themselves on top, 21-14, after a 6-0 flurry at the end of the opening period.
With momentum on their side, Marata swished in one of his five three-pointers to open the second quarter and bury the Eagles in a 10-point hole. But the Blue and White team was quick to respond, forcing the Maroons to cough up the ball, which led to baskets on the other end.
Big men Frank Golla and JP Erram banged bodies inside the paint, tallying six points apiece, handing out fouls to the UP frontline. Due to early foul trouble down low for UP, the Blue Eagles grabbed numerous offensive rebounds resulting in second chance points that ignited a 9-1 surge late in the quarter. The run was capped off by a Tiongson triple, cutting the deficit to just one, 33-34, after the first half of play.
Kiefer Ravena drove hard to the basket, converting on an and-one play, followed by a jumper by Chris Newsome to help the Ateneo regain the lead and open the second half on a 5-0 run. Ravena, who had an outstanding double-double performance of 14 points and 14 boards, paced the Eagles in their scoring outburst.
Tightening their defensive screws, the Ateneo forced UP to continuously turn the ball over, converting them into another 7-0 run that pushed the lead to seven points, 46-39. The Maroons kept on coming back, banking on Andres Desiderio, who hit back to back jumpers, and UP skipper Moriah Gingerich. The duo combined to produce eight points for UP’s cause. With UP remaining within striking distance, veterans Ryan Buenafe and Von Pessumal made sure that the Ateneo wrote the last sentence of the period with a four point swing. The Blue Eagles outscored the Maroons 20-13 in the penultimate quarter.
With a sizeable lead to start the final 10 minutes of play, the Ateneo kept pushing the ball in the open court, converting on lay-ups and jumpers. Marata, who was hounded by defensive stoppers Pessumal and Newsome, started hoisting up bricks in the final quarter. He missed all but one of his attempts which dug UP an even deeper hole.
Halfway through the pay-off period, the Ateneo, looking to put the final nail in the coffin, shifted gears to put UP away for good. The Blue Eagles’ final scoring outburst was highlighted by an alley-oop by Newsome from Ravena.
“The way we played wasn’t our best. But despite that, we’re going to take this win,” said Blue Eagles Head Coach Bo Perasol during the press conference. “What’s commendable though is that we never gave up. They had it back in their minds that they could beat UP,” he added.
With this victory, the Ateneo improves its win-loss record to 4-4 and extends its winning streak to three games.
The Blue Eagles will return to the court on Wednesday, August 21, at the Mall of Asia Arena as they face University of Santo Tomas for their second round duel.
Box scores:
ADMU 67 – Ravena 14, Tiongson 11, Newsome 11, Buenafe 7, Golla 6, Erram 6, Elorde 4, Capacio 4, Tolentino 2, Pessumal 2, Murphy 0, Enriquez 0, Asistio 0.
UP 59 – Marata 15, Lao 9, Asilum 8, Wong 5, Soyud 5, Gingerich 4, Desiderio 4, Pascual 3, Gallarza 3, Ligad 2, Ball 1.
