AFTER A prolonged break due to the recent typhoon that battered the Philippines, the Ateneo (ADMU) Blue Eagles finally took the court again on Sunday, August 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The defending champions blew out the Adamson (AdU) Soaring Falcons, 79-66, to sweep the season series between the two universities.
AdU pounded the ball inside the paint often in the initial stages of the game, taking advantage of ADMU’s thin frontline. Head Coach Leo Austria’s game plan allowed the Soaring Falcons to take an early 11-5 advantage.
The tide, however, quickly changed with the entry of Nico Elorde for the Blue Eagles. The spitfire point guard immediately scored six points and led a 14-2 run that allowed the Blue Eagles to take the lead for good.
The second quarter saw the Blue Eagles extend their lead to double digits with a Ryan Buenafe drive that gave ADMU a 31-21 lead. Buenafe scored six of his seven first half points in the second period.
Aside from Buenafe’s effort, Head Coach Bo Perasol got quality minutes and solid contributions from Ivan Enriquez, Gwyne Capacio and Von Pessumal that helped ADMU grab a 33-26 lead at the half.
The Blue Eagles also limited AdU’s Jericho Cruz in the first half, keeping the star guard scoreless in the first 24 minutes of action.
Despite taking a seven-point lead into the break, the Blue Eagles’ first half performance was far from their best. This was evidently clear in the third quarter where ADMU’s onslaught happened.
The Blue Eagles set the tone right off the bat, going on a quick 8-0 run, including back-to-back triples from Buenafe and Kiefer Ravena, to start the second half. ADMU outplayed AdU on both ends of the court, pouring in 24 points while allowing their opponents to score just six points in the third quarter.
The Blue Eagles earned their biggest lead at 59-32 after Frank Golla connected on a mid-range jumper to begin the final frame, extending the lead to 27 points.
Despite facing such a big deficit with less than 10 minutes left to play, the Soaring Falcons refused to surrender. AdU stuck with Austria’s game plan and kept feeding the ball to 6’9” Cameroonian Center Ingrid Sewa. Sewa, who was a non-factor in the first meeting between the two squads due to a right shoulder injury, came to life in the final period.
Sewa teamed-up with Cruz, who scored all but one of his points in the fourth quarter, to orchestrate a furious 19-0 rally that trimmed ADMU’s lead to single digits at 59-51 with more than six minutes left in the ball game.
With Adamson threatening to shock the crowd, the Blue Eagles went to their proven veterans in Buenafe and Ravena to extinguish the fire. With the two leading the way, the Blue Eagles were able to hold AdU at bay and eventually notch the victory.
Buenafe and Ravena led ADMU’s balanced offensive attack with 18 points apiece. Sewa and Cruz led AdU with 17 and 14 respectively. Adamson also got a breakout performance from Jansen Rios who pitched in 14 points.
The victory extends the Blue Eagles’ winning streak to four games and improves their win-loss record to 5-4. With the win, ADMU’s record is now above .500 for the first time in Season 76.
The Blue Eagles will attempt to continue their winning ways on Wednesday, August 28, against Far Eastern University at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Box scores:
ADMU 79 – Buenafe 18, Ravena 18, Elorde 9, Newsome 9, Tiongson 7, Golla 6, Pessumal 6, Capacio 2, Enriquez 2, Erram 2, Lim 0, Tolentino 0.
AdU 66 – Sewa 17, Brondial 14, Cruz 14, Rios 14, Cabrera 3, Agustin 2, Inigo 2, Abrigo 0, Monteclaro 0, Petilos 0, Trollano 0.
