Starting out the season on a losing end of a demolishion versus FEU, the ADMU Blue Eagles bounced back big with a 84-60 victory over the Adamson Falcons on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The two teams had a flat start offensively as they combined for 2/15 shooting from the field nearly four minutes into the game. However, Ateneo separated for a bit with Aaron Black providing five fast points off the bench to give the Eagles an 11-5 run. The Falcons responded with a strong 11-2 run to end the opening canto as Papi Sarr and Joseph Nalos anchored the turnaround. On the other hand, Ateneo had a hard time putting up points as they also struggled shooting from the foul stripe.
Adamson would then be silenced in the first three minutes of the second quarter that gave Ateneo the edge once again. Fortunately for the Falcons, their fast offense propeled them to pile up the transition baskets with Tungcab, Sarr, and Nalos putting up the points. Meanwhile, Kiefer Ravena heated up with 14 first half points, including an impressive step back three pointer to beat the second quarter buzzer as the Eagles led at the half, 34-30.
Adamson was bleeding for points in the third quarter as Ateneo started to pull away with their starters providing the initial punches scoring-wise. A 6-0 run capped by a Ravena reverse putback gave the Katipunan-based crew their first double-digit spread of the game. Adamson still went running in transition and used quick offense but Ateneo’s defense stood tall against the young Falcons team.
Von Pessumal and Aaron Black continued the sizzling sniping from behind the arc that enabled Ateneo to build a huge distance against the rattled Falcons. Ravena added more points in the fourth quarter so seal the deal and even build onto their lead. On the other hand, Adamson went cold and weren’t able to score on par against a balanced-affair put up by the Eagles.
“The way we played the second half is what we envisioned our team to be,” Coach Bo Perasol said after the game. Moreover, he added that the production of the bench is needed for his team. “Everyone knows we have Kiefer, but we need everyone’s production. The production of guys like Aaron and the others is what we need during the season,” he added.
The Blue Eagles were led by Smart Elite ambassador Kiefer Ravena’s 24 points. He added four boards, three dimes, and three steals. Fellow Smart Elite ambassador Von Pessumal added 12 markers but was just 36% from the field while Aaron Black had a great outing with 11 points on 4/6 shooting.
For the Falcons, Papi Sarr led the team with a double-double as he scored 13 points and grabbed 14 boards. Smart Elite ambassador Dawn Ochea had eight points and three boards but was just 3/7 from the field.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles will next face the NU Bulldogs on Wednesday, September 16 at 4:00pm while the Adamson Falcons will have the UE Red Warriors in their next assignment in the earlier game of the day.
The Scores:
ADMU (84) – Ravena 24, Pessumal 12, Black 11, Nieto Ma. 9, Pinngoy 8, Capacio 7, Tolentino V. 4, Wong 3, Babilonia 2, Cani 2, Nieto Mi. 2, Apacible 0, Gotladera 0, Ikeh 0, Tolentino A. 0, Go 0
ADU (60) – Sarr 13, Nalos 10, Ochea 8, Tungcab 0, Garcia 7, Polican 4, Capote 4, Margallo 2, Ng 1, Bernardo 0, Camacho 0, Escalambre 0, Villanueva 0
Quarters: 13-16, 34-30, 62-48, 84-60
