Ateneo is two wins away from sweeping the in the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball tournament this past Saturday afternoon, as they demolished the University of Santo Tomas, 102-83, at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Even through the Growling Tigers have been winless this season, they still showed their fight against the undefeated Blue Eagles, keeping themselves within distance for the first three quarters.
UST managed to take a 35-33 lead in the second quarter before Ateneo finished the period on a 16-4 run to end the half with a 49-39 lead. Then in the third quarter, the Boy Sablan-coached side would score 31 points in the period to cut the deficit in half entering the fourth quarter, thanks to a late 15-4 run.
It was this kind of effort that Ateneo recognized when they addressed the media after the victory. First Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga said that "they expected UST to give it their best," and "that they were going to play hard." He gave credit to their effort, and "that it was good thing that our players responded to their challenge." Sandy also noted that "they pushed our game to the next level. They had to rise up and meet their challenge. So we're happy that our players stepped up."
Sandy felt the team had a bad third quarter defensively, but was pleased with how they played on that end of the floor in the fourth quarter, forcing UST to shoot 4/14 from the floor and forcing eight turnovers. He also pointed out the emphasis on controlling the offensive boards, in which they were successful, 20-13.
Thirdy Ravena echoed head coach Tab Baldwin's emphasis on just focusing on the game at hand, adding that they cannot be complacent, "knowing that UST was going to give it their all, no matter what happens." He added that they do not take UST lightly, noting that they fought and gave their hearts out."
Matt Nieto then remarked that they just did their jobs in the final period, doubling the Growling Tigers' scoring output, 27-13. Nine Blue Eagles manages to score at least a point during the final quarter, highlighted by a thunderous Ravena slam with 2:22 remaining in the game to give Ateneo a 92-77 lead.
Ravena would finish with a game-high twenty points, as well as eight rebounds, seven assists, and a couple of steals. Matt wound up as the only other Atenean in double figures with nineteen markers on 5/7 shooting from beyond the arc. Balance was the name of the game again for the Blue Eagles, with ten more players scoring between four and eight points.
Oliver de Guzman led UST with nineteen points off the bench, while Jordan Sta. Ana and Steve Akomo each added twelve markers.
Ateneo is slated to face UP on Wednesday, while UST seeks to prevent a winless season against UE on Sunday. (c/o Kim Karlo Castro)
Notes:
Thirdy on the dunk: "Swerte lang na nakakuha ng offensive rebound. And I saw that no one was guarding the middle area of the zone. And then it was good pass from Ikeh." He adds that he and his dad have a PhP 3000 bet for every dunk.
Sandy on the Thirdy dunk: "Hihingi ako ng porsyento from Coach Bong, kasi ako nagturo nun kay Thirdy eh. *draws laughs from the media* May porsyento dapat ako." He adds, "the highlight was the dunk, but the highlight for us was the offensive rebound and that pass. It was a boring highlight, but it would not have been possible if Ikeh did not do his job, and our guards did not do their job in making sure that we keep the ball moving from the very start. It is very easy if you got guards who can move the ball, it is very contagious. The extra pass has become normal for us. So that's the highlight for us coaches."
Sandy on the "One Game at a Time mantra:" "That's part of the way that keeps our players focused. We want to keep them focused and grounded. Part of the way that we want to teach our players is we teach them to be humble, not to get too big-headed. So, we want to make sure that their feet are on the ground, and one of the ways to do that is [to] focus on the next game and don't think about our standing, our situation, and focus on the task at hand." "Blame Coach Tab," he quips to end the press conference.
Even through the Growling Tigers have been winless this season, they still showed their fight against the undefeated Blue Eagles, keeping themselves within distance for the first three quarters.
UST managed to take a 35-33 lead in the second quarter before Ateneo finished the period on a 16-4 run to end the half with a 49-39 lead. Then in the third quarter, the Boy Sablan-coached side would score 31 points in the period to cut the deficit in half entering the fourth quarter, thanks to a late 15-4 run.
It was this kind of effort that Ateneo recognized when they addressed the media after the victory. First Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga said that "they expected UST to give it their best," and "that they were going to play hard." He gave credit to their effort, and "that it was good thing that our players responded to their challenge." Sandy also noted that "they pushed our game to the next level. They had to rise up and meet their challenge. So we're happy that our players stepped up."
Sandy felt the team had a bad third quarter defensively, but was pleased with how they played on that end of the floor in the fourth quarter, forcing UST to shoot 4/14 from the floor and forcing eight turnovers. He also pointed out the emphasis on controlling the offensive boards, in which they were successful, 20-13.
Thirdy Ravena echoed head coach Tab Baldwin's emphasis on just focusing on the game at hand, adding that they cannot be complacent, "knowing that UST was going to give it their all, no matter what happens." He added that they do not take UST lightly, noting that they fought and gave their hearts out."
Matt Nieto then remarked that they just did their jobs in the final period, doubling the Growling Tigers' scoring output, 27-13. Nine Blue Eagles manages to score at least a point during the final quarter, highlighted by a thunderous Ravena slam with 2:22 remaining in the game to give Ateneo a 92-77 lead.
Ravena would finish with a game-high twenty points, as well as eight rebounds, seven assists, and a couple of steals. Matt wound up as the only other Atenean in double figures with nineteen markers on 5/7 shooting from beyond the arc. Balance was the name of the game again for the Blue Eagles, with ten more players scoring between four and eight points.
Oliver de Guzman led UST with nineteen points off the bench, while Jordan Sta. Ana and Steve Akomo each added twelve markers.
Ateneo is slated to face UP on Wednesday, while UST seeks to prevent a winless season against UE on Sunday. (c/o Kim Karlo Castro)
Notes:
Thirdy on the dunk: "Swerte lang na nakakuha ng offensive rebound. And I saw that no one was guarding the middle area of the zone. And then it was good pass from Ikeh." He adds that he and his dad have a PhP 3000 bet for every dunk.
Sandy on the Thirdy dunk: "Hihingi ako ng porsyento from Coach Bong, kasi ako nagturo nun kay Thirdy eh. *draws laughs from the media* May porsyento dapat ako." He adds, "the highlight was the dunk, but the highlight for us was the offensive rebound and that pass. It was a boring highlight, but it would not have been possible if Ikeh did not do his job, and our guards did not do their job in making sure that we keep the ball moving from the very start. It is very easy if you got guards who can move the ball, it is very contagious. The extra pass has become normal for us. So that's the highlight for us coaches."
Sandy on the "One Game at a Time mantra:" "That's part of the way that keeps our players focused. We want to keep them focused and grounded. Part of the way that we want to teach our players is we teach them to be humble, not to get too big-headed. So, we want to make sure that their feet are on the ground, and one of the ways to do that is [to] focus on the next game and don't think about our standing, our situation, and focus on the task at hand." "Blame Coach Tab," he quips to end the press conference.
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