Tagged at best as a darkhorse, Ateneo showed it can put up a fight after upsetting defending champion Far Eastern University.
But consistency remains a concern for the Blue Eagles, who vie for a third triumph against a similarly young and talented Adamson Falcons in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament today.
“We’d like to see more of the defensive effort,” said coach Sandy Arespacochaga, who’s mentoring the Eagles along with national team coach Tab Baldwin. “We have a lot of room for improvement. We also want some more consistency.”
Game is set at 4 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
University of Santo Tomas and University of the Philippines, both coming off blowout losses to powerhouse La Salle, look to rebound in the other match at 2 p.m.
Last Wednesday, the Eagles surprisingly held control most of the way against the Tamaraws to hack out a 76-71 decision and climb to solo third at 2-1.
Thirdy Ravena, hoping to be known more than just the younger brother of former Ateneo star Kiefer Ravena, regained his groove to finish with 17 points after scoring only a bucket in the Eagles’ loss to National University.
Adrian Wong, Jolo Mendoza and Mike Niteo also chipped in for the Eagles, who aim to pool in the same effort against the new-look Falcons.
Although the Falcons split their first two games, the Falcons boast a prized catch in Jerrick Ahanmisi and other reliables in Robbie Manalang, Sean Manganti and Dawn Ochea.
“Ever since I got here, I’ve been trying to polish my game,” said Ahanmisi, an 18-year-old Filipino-American rookie who averaged 23.5 points in his first two games.
The Tigers, meanwhile, vow to recover from their worst beating in a decade as the Green Archers pummeled them by 38 points, 100-62, last Wednesday.
UST coach Boy Sablan admitted the Tigers’ whopping 40 turnovers did them in despite staying within striking distance from the Archers in the first half.
“Our turnovers killed us,” said Sablan. “We lost that game because we beat ourselves.”