THE ATENEO Blue Eagles picked up where they left off by edging the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, 66-52, in their opening second round bout in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82 Men’s Basketball Tournament, on Saturday, October 5, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. The Blue Eagles’ win raises them to a 8-0 record, while UST drops to 4-4.
Thirdy Ravena’s season-high 17 points, nine rebounds, and two steals led the charge for the Blue Eagles. SJ Belangel added 11 points off the bench, while Isaac go chipped in eight markers.
The Growling Tigers’ effort was steered by Mark Nonoy’s hot shooting, as he tallied 18 points. Leading Most Valuable Player candidate Soulemane Chabi Yo failed to make an impact in the scoring column, as he only managed six points on 2/11 shooting.
Both teams stumbled out the gate offensively, with the score at 8-8 after the first period. The Eagles ended the second quarter on a 14-4 run capped by a Ravena and-one to lead the Growling Tigers at halftime, 26-17.
The Growling Tigers’ picked up the slack in the third quarter, scoring and surpassing their first half total. However Ateneo was still in front, 42-35, at the end of three. The two teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter, but the Blue Eagles relied on stellar defense and offensive execution to outscore the Tigers 12-4 to close out the game, emerging with the 14-point win.
Coach Tab Baldwin recognized the importance of defense in today’s win. “Thank God for our defense that continues to be something that is difficult for our opposition, but we need to continue to understand that there are more and more ways to attack our defense. The coaches in this league are going to probe and look for those ways, ” Baldwin said after the game.
Next up for the Blue Eagles is a duel with the Adamson University Soaring Falcons (3-4) on Wednesday, October 9, 4:00 PM at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-UST: 8-8, 26-17, 42-35, 66-52
Box Scores:
Ateneo (66): Ravena – 17 9, Belangel – 11, Go – 8, J. Nieto – 6, Wong – 6, Tio – 5, M. Nieto – 4, Navarro – 3, Daves – 2, Kouame – 2, Mamuyac, – 2 Maagdenberg – 0
UST (52): Nonoy – 18, Abando – 7, Bataller – 6, Chabi Yo – 6, Concepcion – 6, Subido – 5, Ando – 2, Cansino – 2, Bordeos – 0, Huang – 0, Paraiso – 0
