The Ateneo Blue Eagles are peaking at the right time.
After handing arch-rivals DLSU Green Archers, the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles continue to ride the waves, taking a 74-59 win over the Far Eastern University Tamaraws for their fourth straight win, Wednesday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The win ties Ateneo with FEU in the standings, sporting twin 8-4 slates.
“We don’t want to think too far ahead because we don’t want our minds to wander we want to stay focused in the next game,” Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga said. “We want to take it one game at a time.”
Thirdy Ravena tallied a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Isaac Go continued his hot run with 14 points and seven rebounds.
“It was a great team win. Of you see the stat sheet, everybody contributed across the board,” Go shared.
However, it was their hot-shooting from distance that proved to be the difference as they were able to knockdown their season-high 10 threes in this contest. Adrian Wong knocked down four triples in the game for 12 points.
Behind their precise shooting from distance – knocking down nine triples with 3:54 remaining in the third frame, the Blue Eagles held a game-high 23-point lead, 58-35.
After getting a scolding from coach Nash Racela and his staff, the defending champion woke up as they locked down Ateneo. They were able to hold Ateneo field goal-less with 3:54 minutes left in the third canto up until the 5:14 mark of the fourth frame.
King Tamaraw Reymar Jose led FEU’s fight back while Cameroonian student-athlete Prince Orizu provided the energy, leading a 17-2 rally to bring FEU back in the game. Four straight free throws by Orizu sliced the lead to just eight points, 52-60 with 5:38 left.
A triple by Wong tried to stop Ateneo’s bleeding but free throws by Monbert Arong and a basket by Jose continued FEU’s surge.
Needing a basket, Ravena took over for Ateneo, utilizing his athleticism to score four straight points. A find by the third-year guard to Isaac Go with 1:29 left proved to be the dagger that ended any hopes of an FEU comeback.
“FEU came back, we knew they were gonna make a run and come back. It’s a credit to our players that they didn’t get rattled,” Arespacochaga said.
Ateneo shot 37 percent from the field compared to a horrid 26 percent for FEU. The Tamaraws also struggled from the stripe, shooting just 20-of-36.
Monber Arong led FEU with 15 points while Orizu and Jose tallied double-doubles as well. The former had 11 points and 16 rebounds while the latter scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. The King Tamaraw though went just 2-of-11 from the field.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles (8-4) will next face the season-hosts UST Growling Tigers (3-9) on Sunday, November 12 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. On the other hand, the FEU Tamaraws (8-4) look to bounce back, facing the DLSU Green Archers (12-1) on the same day at 4:00pm.
The Scores:
ADMU (74) – Ravena 15, Go 14, Wong 12, Nieto Mi. 8, Black 7, Tolentino 4, Porter 4, Asistio 3, Nieto Ma. 3, Ikeh 2, Mendoza 2, Verano 0, Ildefonso 0.
FEU (59) – Arong 15, Orizu 11, Jose 10, Tuffin 10, Escoto 6, Dennison 3, Comboy 3, Roxas 1, Trinidad 0, Inigo 0, Bayquin 0, Holmqvist 0, Denila 0, Nunag 0.
Quarterscores: 24-14, 46-28, 58-46, 74-59
