ADMU edges UP in first round of Battle of Katipunan

Ateneo Blue Eagles' Kiefer Ravena takes a shot against UP Maroons' Paul Desiderio.

By Emy Manipol

PASAY--Ateneo banked on an early charge to hand UP its fourth straight loss, 56-43, in the first Katipunan Derby of UAAP Season 78 at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.

With a slow start for both teams, Ateneo found spark when sophomore player Arvin Tolentino stepped off the bench to contribute six points.

UP’s scoring woes continued till the second quarter that allowed the Blue Eagles to capitalize. The Blue Eagles held the Maroons scoreless for almost majority of the 2nd quarter before UP’s Jerson Pardo went to work and tried to carry UP’s offense.

Ateneo’s bench was quick to extinguish UP’s uprising as they stringed together six points to secure a 36-17 lead at the halftime buzzer.

Ateneo’s bench was up to the challenge as they backed up their starting five with 25 points. 

UP fought back during the early minutes of the second half but was not able to sustain their run.

Leading by as much as 14 points during the final quarter, Ateneo appeared to be heading to their 4th win. The Fighting Maroons’ Dave Moralde however showed his resilient spirit but was not enough to counter Ateneo’s total team effort.

Despite shooting 5-of-18 from the field, Ateneo’s team captain Kiefer Ravena managed to still play clutch basketball as he registered seven of his 11 points during the playoff quarter. 

The Blue Eagles’ head coach, Bo Perasol, was happy with the performance of his bench as he feels that the team needs more players to step up. Perasol’s team is searching for other offensive contributors outside of the seniors Ravena and Pesumal.

Following his lackluster performance in their lost against UST, Kiefer Ravena once again led the Loyala squad to a win against UP. Ravena together with Von Pessumal combined for 22 points to tow pass a resilient UP team.

ADMU is hoping that it can carry the win’s momentum as they lock horns with its arch rival De La Sale University on Sunday.

Box 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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