Ravena explodes for 29 points as Blue Eagles shock Green Archers
The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles sent defending champion De La Salle University Green Archers to the cellar with a 97-86 win, Sunday afternoon at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Kiefer Ravena dropped 29 points against La Salle including a torrid four of five shooting from the three point area in the final quarter turned the tide for the Blue Eagles who are now at 2-0 after their opening win against the Adamson University Falcons.
The Best Player of the Game, however, was Alfonso Gotladera, Ateneo’s starting center and a transferee from La Salle.
Gotladera not only held his own on defense against Norbert Torres and Arnold Van Opstal, he also chipped in 17 points and eight rebounds in the game.
The Blue Eagles also got great games from Von Pessumal who scored 21 points and Arvin Tolentino who got the first double-double of his UAAP career with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
With La Salle threatening to take control of the game early in the fourth quarter, Ravena exploded from the three-point area. Three straight triples from Ravena gave the Eagles a 70-66 advantage. Tolentino then scored on a short jumper and a triple to extend Ateneo’s lead to nine at 75-66.
Gotladera’s and-one play with 3:36 left in the game gave Ateneo its first taste of a double-digit lead 80-69. The Archers could do nothing else but commit fouls from that point on.
Jason Perkins had an outstanding game for La Salle with 25 points, ten rebounds, and four assists. Almond Vosotros and Jeron Teng scored 18 and 15 points, respectively but they struggled for a combined 12 of 39 shooting from the field.
Similar to their first game against the FEU Tamaraws, the Green Archers were hot from the field early in the game. They built a 13-4 lead after a three-point play and a three point shot from Jason Perkins.
The Eagles stayed close as Arvin Tolentino got multiple trips to the free throw line although he only managed to sink 50% of his attempts. La Salle held a 24-17 lead after the first quarter.
The second saw a much different Ateneo squad as they took and made more attempts from the outside. Chris Newsome made five straight points on jumpers to cut La Salle’s lead down to two points at 28-26. Von Pessumal then gave Ateneo its first taste of the lead with a triple in the next possession.
La Salle was able to grab the lead back after follow up from Jeron Teng but the Blue Eagles retook the lead 39-37 at the half.
Pessumal stayed hot from the field after the break. His initial effort to open the third quarter was followed by a Nico Elorde layup and a Kiefer Ravena basket to build a 50-43 lead for Ateneo.
A fierce La Salle run sliced Ateneo’s lead down to two points, 61-59, at the end of the third quarter.
The Main Man: In just their second game of the 77th Season of the UAAP, the Ateneo faithful are already crowning Kiefer Ravena as their Most Valuable Player. He scattered 29 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals and shot an efficient 10 of 19 from the field
Honorable Mentions: Gotladera, Pessumal, and Tolentino all had their moments in the game. Nico Elorde struggled from the field but he did give out eight assists and he made free throws during La Salle’s fouling spree.
Game Turning Point: Ravena’s explosion, followed by five straight points from Tolentino, and an and-one play for Gotladera doomed the Green Archers.
He Said It:
Ateneo head coach Bo Perasol: The only way we could keep in step with La Salle is to play it by possession. Even if we were down, we were still thinking about possessions. Luckily for us Kiefer and Von made some shots. Iba yung motivation ni Ponso. Coming from La Salle, he was saying in a way that he is better than what they thought of him.
The scores:
Ateneo 97 – Ravena 29, Pessumal 21, Gotladera 17, Tolentino 14, Elorde 9, Newsome 7.
La Salle 86 – Perkins 25, Vosotros 18, Teng 15, Van Opstal 10, Torres 8, Rivero 4, Andrada 2, Salem 2, Sargent 2.
Quarters: 17-24, 39-27, 61-59, 97-86.
