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| Thirdy Ravena, here finishing off Papi Sarr, scored a double-double as Ateneo barges into the Final Four with a twice-to-beat advantage. |
By Ricky Manliguis
PASAY CITY—Ateneo notched the second
twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four as it downed Adamson, 73-67, in the
final game of the elimination round of UAAP Season LXXIX senior’s basketball
action Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Thirdy Ravena led the charge with 14
points, 13 rebounds and five assists as the Katipunan ballclub scored its sixth
consecutive win, thus finishing the elimination round with a 10-4 win-loss
card.
The win also set a date with defending
champions Far Eastern University in the next round next Wednesday.
Adamson, which dropped to 8-6, will
meet top-seeded De La Salle in the other semifinal match-up on November 26.
After a slim 52-53 deficit after three
quarters, the Eagles gain command in the payoff period with a 10-2 run for a
62-55 advantage, a lead they never relinquished.
Mike Nieto backstopped Ravena with a
12-point, eight-rebound effort, while Adrian Wong also finished with 12. Isaac
Go had nine nine markers and eight boards, including two baskets off Ravena’s
assists for the final nails in the coffin.
Despite shooting just 34 percent from
the field all game, the Eagles banked on a strong bench scoring, 41-17, while
dominating in the offensive rebound category with a plus-10 advantage (24-14).
Papi Sarr paced the Falcons with
another double-double of 17 points and 23 rebounds, while JD Tungcab contributed 16
markers. Robbie Manalang was the third double-digit scorer with 12.
The scores:
Ateneo 73—Ravena 14, Mi. Nieto 12,
Wong 12, Go 9, Ma. Nieto 7, Verano 6, Black 5, Ikeh 4, Tolentino 3, Asistio 1,
Porter 0.
Adamson 67—Sarr 17, Tungcab 16,
Manalang 12, Ahanmisi 7, Espeleta 7, Manganti 7, Camacho 1, Ochea 0, Mustre 0,
Bernardo 0, Paranada 0, Chua 0, Ng 0.
Quarterscores: 15-17, 28-33, 52-53,
73-67.
