UAAP: Ateneo Blue Eagles buck height disadvantage, soar past Adamson Falcons

(Updated 4:59pm) The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles registered their fourth straight win by earning a season sweep of the hosts Adamson University Soaring Falcons, via a commanding 79-66 win, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The defending champions Ateneo improved to 5-4, to continue their press for a Final Four berth, while Adamson slumped further to 3-7, losers of their last five outings.

“I’d like them to experience the fact that we can’t just go through any other game without finishing it the right way in the fourth quarter,” said ADMU head coach Bo Perasol, “I was really holding back my timeouts because I want them to experience how it is to adjust doon sa situations na binibigay sa kanila.”

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

Adamson poured in 19 straight points early in the fourth quarter to cut a 59-32 lead to single digits, 59-51, after an and-one basket by Adamson center Ingrid Sewa. Blue Eagles marquee player Kiefer Ravena however took on the scoring load for his squad, holding the Falcons at bay with nine crucial points to keep their lead intact. Caught exchanging baskets late, AdU was then unable to complete the reversal.

“Yung teammates ko kasi sina Von [Pessumal],  Gwynne [Capacio], pati si Nico Elorde, di mo makikita yung ginagawa nila sa stat sheet, sa pressure defense, sa pagdeflect ng ball, sa entry passes,” said Kiefer Ravena, “We just have to take away that habit of relaxing; leading first half, [and then in the] second half we always blow it up.”

Ravena and Ryan Buenafe top-scored for Ateneo with 18 points apiece, with Buenafe adding five rebounds, three assist, and one block. Chris Newsome and Nico Elorde chipped in nine points each, with the former adding nine rebounds of his own as well.

In round one, Ateneo ended a 0-3 start to their season with a 57-47 win over these same Falcons.

Adamson took an early 11-5 lead, until Nico Elorde kick-started a run, punching in six points of a 14-2 swing that turned the tide for the defending champs in the first quarter, 19-13.

The Eagles extended the lead to nine in the second period, 27-18, prompting Falcons coach Leo Austria to press for time. Although Brondial eked out a three-point play after the respite, the Falcons struggled with their shot selection as Ateneo guarded the paint well.

Ateneo's lead stretched to 10 points after a shot by Buenafe, before he and Mike Agustin exchanged shots. The Falcons managed to get their deficit back down to single digits though, when Roider Cabrera swished in a triple to make it 33-26 heading to the second half.

The Blue Eagles shot 42.9 percent from the field by the break, compared to 33 percent by the Falcons. They also hit 9-of-13 free throws, versus a 3-of-6 clip by their foes. In addition, Adamson turned the ball over 11 times, two more than Ateneo.

Buenafe paced the Eagles in the first half with seven points on 10 shots. Jansen Rios and Brondial each had seven as well to lead the Falcons, combining to shoot only six out of 14.


Ateneo stormed out of the gates after the intermission, as six points by Buenafe bannered a 15-point spurt, upping their lead to 20 points, 47-27. A drive by Rios and a free throw by Sewa cut their deficit to 17, but another triple by Buenafe, his second of the quarter, made it 20 anew, 50-30. The Blue Eagles went on to lead by as much as 25, going on a seven-point burst before the third quarter buzzer sounded, 57-32.

After a jumper by Ateneo center Frank Golla, the Soaring Falcons mounted a comeback, putting together a 19-0 run to slash the Ateneo lead to just eight points, 59-51. The Eagles however recovered, bringing the lead back to 12 after a lay-up by Ravena, 67-55, forcing coach Austria to sue for time.

The teams swapped baskets until the Buenafe drove the nail into the coffin via a triple, 1:57 remaining in the clock, giving Ateneo a 13-point lead, 74-61. Adamson failed to scrap the double-digit lead, and the Blue Eagles prevailed.

“We’re definitely two wins away from La Salle and kung sino magquaqualify ngayon, that’s our goal,” said Coach Perasol, “It’s not going to be significant if we’re not going to win the next one. Dapat lang gawin namin, kung gusto namin na nasa top four contention pa rin.”

All in all, Ateneo limited the Falcons to only 38.1 percent shooting, 33.3 percent in the first half. The Blue Eagles also won the rebounding battle, 41-38, and made the extra pass for an 18-to-11 edge in assists.

Hamstringing Adamson was the fact that they converted only 17-of-28 free throw attempts.

Sewa piloted his team with 17 points and six rebounds, making all six of his field goal attempts, but missing 7-of-12 tries from the stripe. Rios, Cruz, and Brondial scored 14 points apiece, and combined for 19 rebounds and eight assists. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

ADMU – Ravena 18, Buenafe 18, Newsome 9, Elorde 9, Tiongson 7, Pessumal 6, Golla 6, Erram 2, Enriquez 2, Capacio 2, Tolentino 0, Lim 0

ADU – Sewa 17, Rios 14, Cruz 14, Brondial 14, Cabrera 2, Inigo 2, Agustin 2, Trollano 0, Petilos 0, Monteclaro 0, Julkipli 0, Abrigo 0

Quarter scoring: 19-13, 33-26, 57-32, 79-66