UAAP: Ateneo notches first win of the season against Adamson

The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles overpowered the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 71-59, to notch their first win in the UAAP Season 76 men's basketball tournament, Sunday, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

[Review the play-by-play of this game here]

The Eagles broke loose against the Falcons in the third quarter as the latter team rested an injured Ingrid Sewa. Poy Erram was instrumental in that frame and scored 10 points to hand Ateneo a 57-47 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Heady play by team captain Juami Tiongson down the stretch then kept Adamson away by no less than eight points for the rest of the game.

Tiongson led the team with 15 points and eight rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting. Ryan Buenafe and Erram hauled down 12 rebounds each and notched 12 and 11 points, respectively, with the former also tallying nine assists. Chris Newsome added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Head coach Bo Perasol said that rebounding was a key factor in the win, saying it was a point of focus for several days during practice. "We needed to bridge the gap against the best and worst rebounding teams," said Perasol, nodding in Adamson's direction. "I don't think we are going to win if we give the same averages to Adamson."

Ateneo won the rebounding battle, 49-37.

Perasol was also relieved that his team avoided an end-game collapse, unlike in previous games. "If you keep on losing, it challenges your confidence and the things you do everyday. It's a break," he said. "Nanalo na tayo, so you can always follow whatever you're doing in the practices because there's a fruit to that."

Kiefer Ravena returned after missing back-to-back games, playing just 11 minutes and producing four points on 1-of-5 shooting. "I didn't have any plan on how to use Kiefer, but I had an idea of how to get him into his groove and give him back his timing," said Perasol, who also congratulated his players for weathering this game.

Ateneo's first win gives them sixth place in the standings at 1-3, while the Falcons dipped to fourth, tying the DLSU Archers at 2-2.

Jericho Cruz got off to a hot start, scoring five points to snare a 9-5 lead in what was turning out to be a physical game. Kiefer Ravena came in off the bench midway through the quarter, but the Phenom was a non-factor early on, as his team couldn't dent the Falcons' tough interior defense. However, Ingrid Sewa appeared to hurt his right shoulder as the quarter wound down and had to be taken out. Nevertheless, Adamson led 16-13 at the end of the first period.

Both teams exchanged triples in the second quarter as Ryan Buenafe matched treys by Axel Inigo and Roider Cabrera. The Eagles made inroads from midrange against a Sewa-less Falcons lineup for the most part, taking a 25-24 lead on a Frank Golla baseline jumper.

Adamson floundered in the last three and a half minutes and were largely ineffective against stingy defense on the Eagles' part. Sewa, who returned to the floor sporting a shoulder brace, also went 0-of-4 from the line. On the other hand, Ateneo overcame turnover issues to string together a couple of fast break baskets by Chris Newsome and Gwynne Capacio, taking a 32-28 lead after two quarters.

At halftime, Ateneo shot 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) against Adamson's 11-of-36 (30.6 percent). The Falcons also went 4-of-16 (25 percent) from beyond the arc while the Eagles were 3-of-4 (75 percent).


Surprisingly the Eagles also led 27-16 in rebounding, though Adamson had six turnovers against Ateneo's 13, leading to a slim 8-4 advantage in turnover points.

In the third quarter, Ateneo found their groove as they freed up Newsome to drive inside, and the rookie scored five of their next 11 points. The Falcons, without Sewa, tried to keep it close as Cruz and Rodney Brondial converted from deep, 43-35.

Adamson called for time midway through the quarter, and they responded with an 7-1 run as Cabrera dialed in five points from the perimeter. The Eagles then regrouped and pressed the Falcons inside, resulting in eight points for Poy Erram in a closing 13-4 run, taking a 57-47 lead after three quarters.

Cruz held the fort for Adamson as they tried to score at the hoop. But their inability to make charities cost them, especially after a Juami Tiongson triple extended the lead to 11 points. Tiongson then finished a tough drive following an Erram put-back, completing a 7-2 swing for Ateneo, 68-55, with under four minutes to play.

The Falcons called their penultimate timeout but couldn't piece together a run, stymied by Ateneo's aggressive defense. Both teams ended up exchanging charities in the last three minutes to put the Eagles in the win column.

Ateneo finished the game shooting 27-of-61 (44.3 percent), while the Falcons shot 21-of-70 (30 percent). The Eagles were 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) from long range in contrast to Adamson's 8-of-32 (25 percent), bannered by Cruz and Cabrera's combined 6-of-23.

The Eagles also went 11-0 in fast break points.

Jericho Cruz led all scorers with 21 points and seven rebounds. Roider Cabrera added 14 points. Sewa was limited to four points and 10 rebounds, going 2-of-4 from the field and missing seven charities in 23 minutes of action.  - CLP, GMA News


The scores:

ADMU 71: Tiongson 15, Erram 12, Buenafe 11, Newsome 10, Golla 6, Ravena 4, Capacio 4, Pessumal 3, Tolentino 2, Lim 2, Elorde 2, Enriquez 1

ADU 59: Cruz 21, Cabrera 14, Brondial 8, Sewa 4, Inigo 3, Agustin 3, Rios 2, Monteclaro 2, Abrigo 2, Trollano 0, Petilos 0, Julkipli 0

Quarter scores: 13-16, 32-28, 57-47, 71-59