Eagles unbeaten, hold off Maroons

The latest edition in the Battle of Katipunan ended with the ADMU Blue Eagles victorious over rival neighbours UP Fighting Maroons, with a final score of 86-75. The result sees the Blue Eagles perched atop the early standings with a spotless 3-0 record while the Maroons remain winless, extending their streak of futility to 24 consecutive games. Arvin Tolentino followed his impressive outing in ADMU’s win over arch-rival DLSU with another gem, notching 20 points and 8 boards on the back of an efficient 7/12 shooting performance.

Tolentino received plenty of help from his teammates, as Keifer Ravena shrugged off a pedestrian 4/13 night from the field to finish with 19 points, while Chris Newsome filled in the rest of the stat sheet with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Kyles Lao scattered 16 points in another frustrating effort for the upset-minded Maroons, who gave Ateneo all they could handle for most of the game.

Down 8 points entering the second half, UP came alive to start the third quarter, as Rey Gallarza spearheaded an 11-5 run to trim the Eagles’ lead to 2 and force a time-out from ADMU Coach Bo Perasol. The Eagles unleashed a 14-2 flurry out of the huddle, with Arvin Tolentino pouring in 9 points in that crucial stretch, pegging Ateneo’s advantage at double digits.

Versatile UP big man Mark Juruena, a one-man boxscore for the Fighting Maroons with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks, spearheaded a late comeback for UP, as the Maroons trailed by only 4 points with a little under 5 minutes to play. King Eagle Keifer Ravena kept UP at bay with a pair of trips to the free-throw line, where he was 10/11, and effectively iced the game, 80-68, with his only made three-point shot of the game, a clutch pull-up dagger from the top of the circle with 2 minutes left on the clock.