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| Kieffer Alas was solid in Ateneo's first preseason game since the Dipaculao tragedy. Pinoyliga |
QUEZON CITY—For two months, there was eerie silence at the blue side of Katipunan Avenue, with uncertainty whether Ateneo's men's basketball team could recover from the tragedy at the East Coast that cost the lives of two of their teammates.
However, on an early Sunday morning, with a good bunch of supporters making the conscious effort to wake up sooner than normal, the Blue Eagles proudly flew high again.
Ateneo took one significant step forward in its redemption arc after beating Our Lady of Fatima 71-60 in the Pinoyliga Cup at the Blue Eagle Gym.
Playing again for the first time since June 6 and 10 weeks after the devastating events in Dipaculao, Aurora that saw Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili drown to their untimely deaths, the Blue Eagles showed signs of rust against the upset-seeking Phoenix as Fatima kept the game close for most of it.
However, Ateneo pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Fatima 21-8 in the first eight minutes of the payoff period for a 71-55 cushion.
One-and-done player Travis Roberts led Ateneo, which will play the winner of the Monday game between San Pedro College of Business Administration and College of St. Benilde in the next round, with 17 points on 6 of 11 shooting and seven rebounds.
Kieffer Alas added 12 points, going 5-for-5 from inside the arc, two rebounds, and one assist.
Mamadou Toure led the Phoenix with 21 points on 5-for-8 field goals and 11-for-17 free throws, four rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
The other games saw NCAA teams Mapua and Perpetual Help blasting their opponents with blowout wins.
The Cardinals clobbered the Diliman College Blue Dragons 82-55 behind a perfect game from Yam Concepcion, who went 7-for-7 from the field for 15 points with 13 rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Perpetual Help, on the other hand, unveiled a new scoring threat in Ralph Caugiran as he had 13 points on 5 of 8 field goals in an 89-52 rout against UBIX Colleges.
