THE ATENEO Blue Eagles defeat the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) defending champions, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 76-71, on Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
This win puts the Blue Eagles at a 2-1 win-loss record, where their only loss was incurred in the match against the National University Bulldogs.
Coming from a lackluster performance in the previous game, Thirdy Ravena redeemed himself by leading the Blue and White with 17 points. His contributions were followed by Adrian Wong and Jolo Mendoza with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
On the defensive side, Mike Nieto led with a total of 11 rebounds followed by his brother Matt Nieto with eight and Ikeh Chibueze with seven. Compared to the Tamaraws, the Blue Eagles were able to put up more blocks led by Gboy Babilonia with three.
The game opened with both teams trading turnovers until injured Aaron Black was able to score the team’s first point. Although FEU’s Wendelino Comboy had started his signature three-pointers, Mike Nieto gave his own three to tie the game at 8-8. With Ravena and Mendoza in the game, the Blue Eagles were able to manage a 8-0 run by the end of the first quarter.
Ravena drew first blood with two successful free throws, followed by a layup by Ikeh. Comboy ends the Blue and White’s 13-0 run with another three-pointer, followed by two free baskets coming from him and Orizu. As they inch close towards the Blue Eagles (23-20), Mendoza steps up his game to widen the gap to 30-24. With the Tamaraws only being able to get points from free throws, Mike Nieto comes back with his own three and Ravena drives to shoot before the halftime.
The second half featured a stronger FEU, despite the Blue Eagles having a full command on the court. Orizu and Comboy contributed the most to decrease the Blue Eagles’ lead, but the Katipunan-based squad members stepped up to dominate the lead. Wong impresses the crowd with two consecutive three-pointers for the Blue Eagles, bringing the score up to 58-47 at the end of the third quarter.
Orizu starts the fourth quarter with the layup until Wong takes the spotlight with his third consecutive three-pointer. However, a run by FEU stuns the Blue Eagles and ties the game at 66-all due to a three-pointer by Nunag and a score by Escoto. After a timeout called by Ateneo, Ravena breaks the tie to regain the advantage and is assisted by Asistio to extend the lead (71-66). With Ravena being heavily guarded towards the end, his free throws widened the gap to the final score and claimed victory for Ateneo.
Blue Eagle Ravena explains that what mattered in the game was who had a greater heart in it. “It was good na ibinigay namin ang effort namin even though we were out-rebounded by them, 23-15, (It was a good thing we gave our effort even though we were out-rebounded by them, 23-15)” says Ravena. “But everybody still worked hard in boxing and getting those rebounds.”
Their next game will be on Saturday, September 17, 2016, 4pm at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Quarter scores: 18-10, 37-27, 58-47, 76-71
Box Scores:
Ateneo: Ravena- 17, Wong- 13, Mendoza- 10, M. Nieto- 9, Ikeh- 8, Asistio- 7, J. Nieto- 5, Babilonia- 2, Black- 2, Go- 2, Tolentino- 1
FEU: Comboy- 20, Jose- 16, Orizu- 16, Escoto- 7, Bayquin- 4, Nunag- 4, Dennison- 2, Holmqvist- 2