UAAP: UE vs ADMU round two preview and live-scoring

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Two teams looking to claim the last Final Four berth face off on Sunday at the MOA Arena, as the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles try to get revenge for their round one defeat at the hands of the University of the East Red Warriors.

Round one encounter

An 8-0 run by Ateneo reset the table for the two teams at the start of the fourth, with five unanswered by Kiefer Ravena giving his side a 63-60 lead with 4:16 left in the game. However, UE punched back with six straight, turning the tables on their foes.

Back-to-back scores by Juami Tiongson and Frank Golla put the defending champs ahead again, but twin drives from JM Noble and Roi Sumang moved the Red Warriors out front. Kiefer Ravena managed just a split at the line, but it wasn't enough, as off a Sumang miss, Charles Mammie put away the game with two from the stripe, for a final score of 72-68.

What's at stake

Aside from revenge, the Ateneo Blue Eagles (6-5) need a win to maintain step with the UST Growling Tigers, who manhandled the UP Fighting Maroons, Saturday. The Tigers moved up to 7-5 with two games left, including versus ADMU on the last day of the elimination round. If Ateneo wants to get an outright Final Four berth, sweeping their last three games is the way to go.

Meanwhile, UE (5-6) hopes to repeat their round one feat in order to knot the two sides at 6-6. They still have an outside shot at the Final Four, but will need UST and ADMU to lose, while winning their remaining matches. Two things in favor of UE - Aside from this game against Ateneo, their schedule has them playing Adamson and UP to end the elimination round. They'll still need to cross their fingers though with regards to the Tigers.  

Important to note going into this game is that both sides will not be at 100 percent. ADMU head coach Bo Perasol is suspended for one game for his encounter with a fan after their loss to La Salle, while Ralf Olivares serves the second of a two-game suspension for his actions last week versus NU.

ADMU player to watch

Lost in the firestorm of controversy when Coach Perasol charged a heckler in the stands when the game was over, was the fact that star player Kiefer Ravena turned in a sub-par effort versus his side's arch-rivals. The Phenom was a miserable 1-of-6 from downtown, 4-of-13 overall, but more worryingly, missed five of his eight charities in a game decided by just two points.

The truth of the matter is, Ravena's FT shooting has sunk horribly this season, down to 52.1 percent from a 78.4 clip the year before. It could be why he's become more reliant on jump shots as opposed to attacking the rim; he may be afraid that he'll get fouled and be forced to hit (or miss) from the stripe.

UE player to watch

Speaking of players tasked to do a lot for their squads, Roi Sumang looked brilliant early on, but was unable to turn on his "Super Sumang" mode down the stretch, in their OT loss to DLSU. In the fourth quarter and the extra five minutes, Sumang managed just two points on 1-of-7 shooting, missing his two three-point tries in the extra period, with two assists and two turnovers to his name.

With Ralf Olivares out, Sumang has had to score more for his side, but it looked like it wore him down in that game, meaning other guards like Lord Casajeros and Dan Alberto ought to step up.