ATENEO defeated University of the Philippines, 56-43, on Wednesday to bounce back from a huge loss to University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Blue Eagles improved their record to 4-2 to get right back up after a 58-68 loss to University of Santo Tomas, a game where they squandered a 16-point lead in the fourth period.
Kiefer Ravena had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Von Pessumal scored 11 points including two triples for Ateneo, which will face archrivals La Salle on Sunday to cap off the first round.
The Blue Eagles led by as many as 19 points, maintaining control this time as Ravena scored seven in the final period.
“We talked about how we can close out games. Most of the time, we start well but it’s a matter of how we close out games. It’s important that Von and Kiefer got their shots going when the rally was going on,” said Ateneo coach Bo Perasol.
“This is a good bounce back win for us,” he added.
Paul Desiderio had 12 points but UP’s leading scorer Jett Manuel was held scoreless as the Maroons suffered their fourth straight defeat to fall to 2-4.
The Maroons have not won against its Katipunan neighbors since the second round of the 2009 season, a total of 11 games.
The scores:
Ateneo (56)—Ravena 11, Pessumal 11, Apacible 8, A. Tolentino 8, Ma. Nieto 4, Gotladera 4, Pingoy 3, Capacio 2, Wong 2, Ikeh 1, V. Tolentino 1, Black 1, Cani 0, Babilonia 0.
UP (43)—Desiderio 12, Moralde 9, Prado 8, Amar 6, Asilum 5, Dario 2, Kone 1, Manuel 0, Lim 0, Harris 0, Gallarza 0, Longa 0, Vito 0, Jaboneta 0.
Quarterscores: 17-9; 36-17; 45-31; 56-43.
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