The fleet-footed Ateneo de Manila five ran circles around De La Salle University, 97-86, to draw first blood on Sunday morning at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. in their first game of their yearly series in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 77 men’s basketball tournament.
Fourth year guard Kiefer Ravena led their balanced charge with 29 points on a torrid 10-for-19 shooting from the field, included three consecutive triples early in the fourth period that propelled the Blue Eagles through the rest of the way.
But it was the less heralded Von Pessumal that quietly rose to the occasion, scoring 12 points during their first half surge to overcome De La Salle’s hot start in the first period. He finished with a career-best 21 points with seven rebounds and three assists in the ballgame.
Rookie forward Arvin Tolentino proved his worthiness as this season’s top blue-chip prospect, scoring 14 with 10 boards, while ex-Green Archers center Alfonso Gotladera added 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds during the contest.
The frontline duo of Tolentino and Gotladera, together with Pessumal and Nico Elorde, contributed 32 of the team’s 51 total rebounds that matched up with the 51 total of the taller De La Salle five.
“It was going to be an uphill climb against [De] La Salle. If we’re going to coast, I don’t think we’re going to win. I think we caught [De] La Salle in a bad game. Hindi naging maganda ang shooting nila. I think defense also did it for us,” said second year Ateneo head coach Bo Perasol.
However, the former UP Fighting Maroons guard maintained that this was just another win in their schedule of contests, as he was looking at the bigger picture for his squad.
“When I go back to the dugout, my emphasis would be that this is just another win. This is not times two [or] times three wins. This is one win of our slate. Hindi ako Atenista, hindi ko alam ang side story ng [De] La Salle at Ateneo. But I know that they’re very proud ngayon na panalo sila. But for me as a coach and non-Atenean, it’s just one win for me,” Perasol added.
De La Salle Head Coach Juno Sauler, whose wards go 0-2 for the first time since missing out on the Final Four in 2011, said that the squad has a lot of adjustments to do against quick teams like Far Eastern University and Ateneo.
“FEU’s a quick team, Ateneo’s a quick team, and we’re not. We have to find ways to counter the quickness of our opponents [and] find a solution for that,” Sauler noted.
Forward Jason Perkins led the Green Archers’ cause, scoring 25 points with 10 rebounds, followed by Almond Vosotros with 18, and Jeron Teng’s 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Guard Thomas Torres, who played a scoreless 16 minute stint on the floor, suffered an injury early in the second half that compounded their team’s woes. He left the arena in crutches and is currently under observation at a nearby medical facility.
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