THE ATENEO Blue Eagles defeated the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, 73-69 on Sunday, September 4, 2016 at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
The match against UST is the season opener for the Blue Eagles, and this is the first game after the departure of Most Valuable Player and UAAP Basketball Phenom Kiefer Ravena.
Katipunan’s ballers were led by Thirdy Ravena, who ended the game with a double double consisting of 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists as well as a resounding chasedown block on Jon Sheriff off a fastbreak.
He was ably assisted by Aaron Black, who notched a game high 23 points, 18 of which came in the first half. Alongside his point production, which he achieved in just 15 shots, he also rounded his numbers with 7 boards, 5 assists, a steal and a trio of denials.
UST was paced by Louie Vigil who hit 21 markers on 38% shooting. He also finished with a near double-double, gathering 9 boards and 5 assists.
On the other side of the coin, notable for their production, or lack thereof, is Chibueze Ikeh and Jon Sheriff. Ikeh played 10 minutes for the men in blue, ending with a blank in the points column and 4 rebounds, while being outmatched and outrebounded by the UST big men. Sheriff, who was on the floor for 19 minutes, was also held scoreless despite 5 shots and was only able to contribute a rebound and a pair of assists, while committing 4 fouls.
It was a tale of two halves in terms of shooting from deep. They ended the first half firing blanks, going 0-10 while the Tigers went 2-12, courtesy of Kent Lao and Mario Bonleon. In the second half, meanwhile, it was the players from España who struggled, going 0-10 while Ateneo went 6-21 after Mike Nieto opened the floodgates early in the third quarter.
There was also a massive difference in physicality between the two teams, as UST went to the charity stripe 25 times over the course of the game, while Ateneo only visited six times. UST converted at a clip of 76% while Ateneo hit 83%.
This win puts the Blue Eagles at 1-0 in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 79 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Their next game will be against the NU Bulldogs on Sunday, September 11, 2016 at the Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City.
ATENEO 73 – Black 23, Ravena 17, Mi. Nieto 7, Asistio 6, Wong 5, Mendoza 5, Babilonia 4, Tolentino 2, Go 2, Ma. Nieto 2, Ikeh 0, Porter 0, Verano 0
UST 69 – Vigil 21, Macasaet 12, Bonleon 9, Lao 8, Basibas 7, Faundo 6, Subido 2, Afoakwah 2, De Guzman 2, Sheriff 0, Lee 0, Arana 0, Huang 0
