UAAP: Ateneo Blue Eagles even record at UP Fighting Maroons' expense

(Updated 4:03pm) The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles hit the .500 mark for the first time this season, taking care of business against Katipunan rivals, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 67-59, in both teams' first match of the second round of the UAAP Season 76 men's basketball tournament, Thursday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

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

The Eagles won their third straight game, tying the UE Red Warriors for the longest active winning streak in the UAAP since the FEU Tamaraws took their first loss, Wednesday. Ateneo share third place with arch-rivals DLSU Green Archers at 4-4, while UP's card now stands at 0-8.

Kiefer Ravena led Ateneo with 14 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Chris Newsome and Juami Tiongson both notched 11 points and five rebounds.

UP led for most of the first half, thanks to a combination of hot shooting and sloppy play from the Eagles. But Ateneo took control in the second half and led by as much as 12 points to put the Maroons to rest.

"I feel like we did come out a little sluggish but we did pull through. But it's tough heading into the second round, because everyone's on an even field. Every time, we have to go all-out, because we won't get a second chance," said Chris Newsome.

"I don't think I'll be honest if I say I was satisfied with the way we won that game. I think we could've done better bracing for tougher situations ahead," said Eagles head coach Bo Perasol. "There are a lot of things that are commendable, like we didn't give up even if we were down [in the first half]. If there's one thing that brought out the better in us is that we didn't give up."

"Generally, good could be better," he finished.

The defending champions got off to a hot start, taking an 8-3 lead off easy layups, but UP's shooting launched them back into the game as Henry Asilum converted from beyond the arc, and the Maroons took advantage of slow defensive rotations for attempts at the rim. From the seven-minute mark onwards, the Maroons went on an 18-5 rally, ending the period with a Martin Pascual triple. That put UP up 21-14 lead after 10 minutes.

Marata tossed in another trey at the start of the second frame to make it a double-digit lead. But after a brief rally, the Maroons started to crumble against stingy defense by the Eagles. Ateneo went on an 8-3 run, whittling the lead to 27-22 halfway through the frame on split charities by Juami Tiongson.

The Maroons got a boost after a Kyles Lao and-one and Marata's third trey widened the lead anew to double digits, 33-24, with under four minutes to play. Ateneo chipped away at the lead, though they were hamstrung by missed free throws and second-chance opportunities. Nevertheless, they managed to cobble together an 11-1 run, as a Tiongson three-pointer with 50 seconds to play capped the half for Ateneo, as they trailed by just a point, 34-33.

At halftime, UP made 6-of-12 three-pointers as part of a 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) shooting clip. Ateneo was 4-of-10 (40 percent) from long range but managed just 12-of-33 (36.4 percent) from the floor.


Kiefer Ravena banged home an and-one after the break, and Ateneo tightened up on the defense end to pull ahead via a 13-5 run, 46-39.

With under four minutes left, Paul Desiderio connected on consecutive jumpers, cutting the lead to three. The Maroons found easy points in the last minute as well, as Moriah Gingerich went cherry-picking to keep up with the Eagles, who led, after three quarters, 53-47.

In the fourth period, the Maroons' struggles alternated between turning the ball over and attempting low-percentage shots. Scoring was slow for the Eagles as well, but they eventually forged a 61-49 tally after fast break layups by Ravena and Frank Golla.

With three and a half minutes left, Lao gave UP their second field goal of the quarter with a breakaway basket. But Ateneo returned serve moments later, as Ravena fed Chris Newsome for an alley-oop in transition, 63-51. Only two minutes then stood between the Maroons and their eighth straight loss.

The Eagles finished shooting 25-of-62 from the field (40.3 percent), including 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) from downtown. In contrast, the Maroons dipped to 23-of-64 (35.9 percent), counting just two more three-pointers made for an 8-of-27 (29.6 percent) outing from deep.

Ateneo led in second-chance points (17-5) and turnover points (16-10).

Joseph Marata scored a team-high 15 points for UP, but didn't score in the fourth quarter until converting a last-second heave from beyond the arc. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

ADMU 67: Ravena 14, Tiongson 11, Newsome 11, Buenafe 7, Golla 6, Erram 6, Elorde 4, Capacio 4, Tolentino 2, Pessumal 2, Murphy 0, Enriquez 0, Asistio 0

UP 59: Marata 15, Lao 9, Asilum 8, Wong 5, Soyud 5, Gingerich 4, Desiderio 4, Pascual 3, Gallarza 3, Ligad 2, Ball 1

Quarter scoring: 14-21, 33-34, 53-47, 67-59