THE ATENEO Blue Eagles overcame the late comeback attempt of the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 81-78, last August 3 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

“I liked the way we played the game until the last two minutes,” said Coach Bo Perasol. “We should have been able to finish it better but it was still a win for us, and Kiefer [Ravena] delivered for us in crunch time.”

With the win, the Blue Eagles now improve to 4-1, with two more games left to play in the first round of eliminations, making them the sole second seed of the tournament.

“I think that we have put ourselves in a good position,” shared Perasol, “But then again, as they say, it’s going to change in two games or in a game’s time. So I was hoping that we could still carry this on in the two more games that we are going to play in this coming week.”

For much of the first quarter, the Tamaraws controlled the pace of the game as they constantly found ways to take advantage of Ateneo’s thin frontline. FEU veterans Mark Belo, Chris Tolomia and Anthony Hargrove took charge and scored on an array of inside moves to put FEU up, 4-10, with a little less than five minutes left to play.

The defensive pressure of the Tamaraws led to the poor shot selection of the Blue Eagles and even to consecutive shot clock violations in the game’s opening quarter. After 10 minutes of action, Ateneo found themselves trailing FEU, 14-16, as constant trips to the line from Ravena and Gwyne Capacio allowed them to stay instep with the surging Tamaraws.

Ateneo’s struggles continued much into the second quarter, as they were still unable to employ the run and gun game that they have become known for. But it was Chris Newsome’s perfect shooting that allowed the Blue Eagles to keep the Tamaraws at bay. He made all five of his field goals to lead Ateneo with 11 points at the half and keep the game tied at 35 after two quarters of basketball.

After making the necessary adjustments, Coach Perasol’s boys opened the third with more defensive energy that easily translated to points from within and beyond the arc. Ravena and Von Pessumal finally came to life as their strong presence in the perimeter opened opportunities for Ateneo big men Vince and Arvin Tolentino. It was during the third that Pessumal scored 10 of his 12 game points. FEU tried to respond with strong inside moves from Tolomia and Hargrove but Ateneo’s impressive passing finally gave them the lead, 58-54, to end the third.

Ateneo was able to sustain their momentum coming into the final quarter of the game. The Blue Eagles achieved their highest lead, 75-66, after Ravena scored seven straight unanswered points with only a minute left in the clock. FEU, however, remained relentless as guards Tolomia and Francis Tamsi scored consecutive baskets of their own to keep the game close, 78-76, with 13 seconds of play left. It was Ravena’s steady shooting from the foul line that eventually allowed Ateneo to close out the game, 81-78.

FEU pounded the ball inside the paint for a total of 46 points as compared to Ateneo’s 28. The Blue Eagles were, however, able to respond to FEU’s strong inside game by burying eight of their 19 three-point attempts for an impressive average of 42.11% from beyond the arc. The Tamaraws on the other hand, were unable to match the hot shooting of Ateneo as they only made four of their 18 outside shots for a poor average of 22.22%.

Given the reduced production of Ateneo’s big men, the guards of the Blue Eagles carried much of the offensive load of the team as four of them managed to score in double figures. Ravena led the boys in blue with 23 points and a season high of seven assists.

“I really wanted to involve my other teammates,” said Ravena on his passing. “Kung hindi naman nashoot ng mga teammates ko ‘yun, bale wala lahat ‘yun. (If my teammates didn’t make their shots then I wouldn’t have those assists).”

Newsome also added 17 points and a team high of seven rebounds while shooting an impressive 78% from the field. Nico Elorde and Pessumal scored 12 points apiece with the former dishing out another five assists and the latter providing much needed scoring off the bench.

“My veterans Newsome, Elorde and Pessumal were big today especially with Arvin not having a good shooting afternoon,” added Ravena. “Hopefully we can carry this momentum to [University of Santo Tomas (UST)].”

Belo led the way for FEU with a stat line of 22 points, four assists and six rebounds. Tolomia also scored 15 points and dished out three assists. Big man Hargrove held his own in the paint as he recorded a double-double performance of 13 points and 13 boards, but was unable to help the Tamaraws down the stretch as he fouled out with at least three more minutes to play.

The Blue Eagles’ next game will be against the UST Tigers on August 6, Wednesday, 4:00 PM at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Updated: 4:50 PM