THE ATENEO Blue Eagles took down the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 70-58, to capture the inaugural SMART City Hoops Basketball championship on Wednesday, June 13, at the Greenhills West Indoor Court in San Juan City.
Thirdy Ravena led the balanced attack for Ateneo with 12 points and six rebounds. Angelo Kouame provided the spark off the bench with nine markers and 11 boards while fellow big man Isaac Go chipped in nine points and four rebounds.
Former Blue Eagle Arvin Tolentino was the lone bright spot for the Tamaraws with 16 points on 4/6 (67%) shooting from deep, while Jasper Parker provided 12 markers for the losing side.
The game started out a seesaw battle, with the Blue Eagles engaged in a shootout against Tolentino. A couple of defensive stops allowed Ateneo to pull away late in the opening frame, but LJ Gonzales’s triple cut the margin to three at the end the period, 21-18.
[First Quarter]
Anton Asistio for three! Back to back triples by Ateneo.
Ateneo 10 FEU 8#CityHOOPS pic.twitter.com/2m9zyZMcoa
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) June 13, 2018
[First Quarter]
LJ Gonzales fakes and hits the triple to end the opening period!
Ateneo 21 FEU 18#CityHOOPS pic.twitter.com/1QTUiHtGUx
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) June 13, 2018
FEU came out aggressive at the start of the second quarter, scoring multiple baskets inside the paint to shift the momentum and eventually the lead to their side, 24-26. However, the Morayta-based squad was unable to pull away with Ateneo providing an answer for every Tamaraw bucket. Pat Maagdenberg’s layup tied the game to end the first half, 32 all.
[Second Quarter]
FEU takes the lead as Hubert Cani finds Barkley Ebona for the easy two! Timeout Ateneo! 5:57 left in the second quarter.
Ateneo 24 FEU 26#CityHOOPS pic.twitter.com/ei6vWNbJLG
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) June 13, 2018
[Second Quarter]
Pat Maagdenberg dips and doos for the reverse layup! Arvin Tolentino answers with a three, but Maagdenberg comes right back with another layup to tie the game!
Ateneo 32 FEU 32#CityHOOPS pic.twitter.com/dQHZrWfYcZ
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) June 13, 2018
The Tamaraws maintained their assertive offense at the start of the second half with Parker and Prince Orizu scoring five straight points to establish the biggest FEU lead of the game, 35-39. However, Tolentino’s unsportsmanlike foul on Raffy Verano midway through the third period reenergized the Blue Eagles, who regained the lead via Ravena’s acrobatic layup, 42-41. From then on, the Blue and White side unleashed a 13-1 run highlighted by a Mike Nieto and-one play which allowed Ateneo to close the third period with a double digit lead, 55-44.
[Third Quarter]
Mike Nieto with the putback plus the foul!!! He misses the bonus.
Ateneo 53 FEU 44#CityHOOPS pic.twitter.com/7Muz4hwWmm
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) June 13, 2018
The Katipunan-based side continued their aggressive play in the fourth quarter, keeping the Tamaraws at bay midway through the period, 61-49. A last ditch effort by Tolentino allowed FEU to pull within eight, but two Ravena free throws and a Mike Nieto corner triple finally iced the game, as the Blue and White ultimately sealed the victory, 70-58.
[Fourth Quarter]
Tolentino gets the putback! Lead is now back to single digits.
Ateneo 61 FEU 53#CityHOOPS pic.twitter.com/4pYcnIi0Rb
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) June 13, 2018
[Fourth Quarter]
Thirdy hits two free throws. Mike Nieto gets the corner triple. It’s back to a thirteen-point lead! Timeout FEU. 3:45 left in the game.
Ateneo 66 FEU 53#CityHOOPS pic.twitter.com/1PEpryiNPL
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) June 13, 2018
After the game, Ravena shared his thoughts on what this preseason championship means to the team. “Ito yung magseset ng tone sa pinakita namin buong summer [This will set the tone in what we showed this summer],” he said.
Although victorious, the veteran swingman refuses to relax, as he is aware of how much opposing teams can still improve come the UAAP season. “Masaya kami na nanalo kami pero [we know] na summer league lang ‘to. So reminder lang siya to keep working hard and never be content.”
(We’re happy with this win, but we know that it’s just a summer league, so it simply serves as a reminder for us to keep working hard and never be content.)
The younger Ravena also believes the team should work more on their maturity and professionalism, referring to the heated scuffle spanning the second and third periods. “Hindi na namin kailangan yung magalit pa kasi dapat mature na kami as a team (We don’t need to lose our temper because we’re supposed to be mature as a team),” he shared.
“Iyon yung ineexpect sa amin ni Coach Tab, and iyon yung ineexpect namin as a team.” (That’s what Coach Tab expects from us, and that’s what we expect from our team.)
Aside from local preseason tournaments, the team is looking forward to their training camp in Greece where they are set to face professional Greek ball clubs in preparation for the upcoming University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-FEU: 21-18, 32-32, 55-44, 70-58
Box Score:
Ateneo (70): Ravena – 12, Kouame – 9, Go – 9, Nieto, Ma. – 7, Navarro – 6, Belangel – 6, Mendoza – 5, Nieto, Mi. – 5, Maagdenberg – 4, Verano – 3, Asistio – 3, Tio – 1, Mamuyac – 0, Black – 0, White – 0
FEU (58): Tolentino – 16, Parker – 12, Orizu – 8, Gonzales – 8, Comboy – 7, Cani – 4, Ebona – 2, Escoto – 1, Nunag – 0, Stockton – 0, Iñigo – 0, Ramirez – 0, Bienes – 0, Tuffin – 0, Jopia – 0
