THE ATENEO Blue Eagles dropped the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons in their ninth contest in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday, October 9, at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The Blue Eagles’ win lifts them to a 9-0 record, while AdU falls to 3-6 on the season.

Thirdy Ravena’s season-high 23 points, five assists, and four rebounds led the winning effort for the Blue Eagles. Sophomore big Matthew Daves chipped in a career-high 10 markers, while Matt Nieto and Will Navarro had 11 each in the gritty affair.

The Falcons’ charge was spearheaded by Jerrick Ahanmisi and Val Chauca’s combined 34 points. Lenda Douanga and Joshua Yerro had solid contributions with 13 and 12 markers, respectively.

The two teams traded punches in the first half as Ateneo trailed Adamson, 34-37, at the break. However, Ateneo took control in the third quarter, ending with a 19-6 run capped by a Chew Daves finish, leading to a 63-50 advantage heading into the fourth. The Falcons responded in the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run to cut the lead to six with about six minutes remaining. A Yerro layup cut the lead to three at 77-74 with about eight seconds remaining, but a pair of Mike Nieto freebies put the game to rest.

Ateneo’s Coach Tab Baldwin praised Matthew Daves after his breakout performance. “[Matthew Daves] has a very kind soul. He’s a good person. He’s a great teammate, and we don’t want that to be reflected in our opponent’s eyes. We want our opponents to see the guy that went out there today that backed [Lenda] Douanga down and stuck him in the hole one time and as a guy that snatches rebounds,” said Baldwin.

The Blue Eagles’ next dance is against their archrivals the De La Salle University Green Archers (4-4) on Sunday, October 13, 12:00 PM, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Quarter Scores:

Ateneo-AdU: 22-18, 34-37, 63-50, 80-74

Box Scores:

Ateneo (80): Ravena -23, Navarro – 11, J. Nieto – 11 Daves – 10, – 11, Go – 7, M. Nieto – 7, Kouame – 7, Mamuyac – 3, Wong – 1, Belangel – 0, Maagdenberg – 0, Tio – 0

AdU (74): Ahanmisi – 17, Chauca – 17, Douanga – 13, Yerro – 12, Camacho – 6, Manlapaz – 5, Lastimosa – 4, Fermin – 0, Flowers – 0, Magbuhos – 0, Mojica – 0