THE ATENEO Blue Eagles opened their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) campaign with a solid all-around performance as they defeated the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 79-57, on July 13 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“I don’t think how we played today is going to be the gauge of how we’re going to play this upcoming season,”said second year Head Coach Bo Perasol. “But I’m just glad that we were able to get this first win for us.”
The Blue Eagles opened the game with a strong 10-3 start with contributions from four of their starters. Both teams employed a 2-2-1 full court defense with both teams exchanging temporary 4-on-3 or 3-on-2 fast break opportunities. The Blue Eagle’s championship experience was quite evident as it rattled their Adamson counterparts—majority of whom were rookies—to commit numerous turnovers.
Adamson started to get its stride after Coach Kenneth Duremdes called a timeout led by former Letran Squire Ivan Villanueva, who had six points in the quarter. But the Blue Eagles continued to run and considerably outplay their opponents. They went on a 9-0 run courtesy of former De La Salle Green Archer Ponso Gotladera, shooting guard Von Pessumal and rookie John Apacible to end the quarter up 24-11.
Both teams struggled to start the second quarter but the Blue Eagles got themselves going after a timeout from Perasol. Following a dismal shooting performance in the first quarter, highly touted rookie Arvin Tolentino put on a dazzling display, scoring 10 points in the quarter on a variety of shots.
The Blue Eagles continued to capitalize on Adamson’s turnovers on the open court highlighted by Kiefer Ravena’s two thunderous slams. The Blue and White also experimented with a small lineup, with Tolentino playing the center position surrounded by a forward and three guards.
The third quarter saw the Blue Eagles playing more loosely, allowing the Soaring Falcons to match their intensity. Veteran Jansen Rios, saddled with three fouls in the first quarter, tried to lead his team back in to the game. Rios would finish with 15 points despite the foul trouble. The Blue Eagles and Soaring Falcons finished with 15 points each in the quarter.
The Blue Eagles struggled to match Adamson’s intensity in the fourth quarter as Coach Bo tried to experiment with different lineup combinations. The entire 16-man lineup for the Blue Eagles was able to play and contribute in a variety of different ways.
In spite of the win, the Blue Eagles were outrebounded by the much smaller Adamson team 39-42 but were able to makeup for this disadvantage as they forced 22 turnovers resulting to 22 points of turnovers.
Team Captain Kiefer Ravena led three Blue Eagles in double figures with 22 points to go along with four rebounds and four steals. Chris Newsome added 12 points and 8 rebounds and 3 assists, while Arvin Tolentino finished with 12.
The lone bright spot for the Soaring Flacons was Villanueva, who finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds in his debut.
The Blue Eagle’s next game will be against defending champions De La Salle Green Archers at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“This is not our gauge but this is a good stepping stone for next Sunday’s game against the defending champions,” said Ravena.
“We really have to focus on the things we did this afternoon. We have to at least double the effort, double everything because we’re going up against the champs.”
The scores:
ATENEO 79—Ravena 22, Newsome 12, A. Tolentino 12, Pessumal 8, Elorde 6, Javelosa 4, Apacible 4, Asistio 3, Capacio 2, Gotladera 2, Babilonia 2, Doliguez 2, T. Ravena 0, V. Tolentino 0, Porter 0, Lim 0.
ADAMSON 57—Villanueva 15, Rios 15, Trollano 7, Ochea 7, Inigo 4, Gumtang 4, Baytan 2, Aquino 2, Nalos 1, Polican 0, Monteclaro 0, Barrera 0, Garcia 0.
Quarter Scores: 24-11, 47-20, 62-35, 79-57.
Updated on July 13, 2014 at 8:49 PM.
