MANILA, Philippines—Three-time UAAP champion Ateneo and Far Eastern University kept their records pristine after edging respective foes Saturday in the 2011 Filoil Preseason Premiere Cup at the Arena in San Juan.
The Blue Eagles blew a double-digit deficit but held their own in the final minutes to hack out a 71-66 triumph over retooled National University Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, the Tamaraws displayed a decent offensive game to nip University of the East, 80-77, in the second game.
The problem though, came on the defensive side of things that allowed the pesky UE squad to remain in a threatening stance until the final buzzer.
“Overconfident. My players relaxed, our offense was there but our defense was absent,” said FEU coach Bert Flores.
In the opener, Adamson rolled to a four-game winning streak following a 57-54 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College.
Eric Camson scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Falcons, who upped its mark to 4-1.
Prized rookies Bobby Ray Parks Jr. and Kiefer Ravena came through with solid stints anew for NU and Ateneo respectively.
The versatile Parks Jr. had the better stat-line as he collected 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
But it was Ravena who had the final say as Ateneo won its fifth game in as many games.
The five-foot-11 Ravena finished with 13 points on top of seven dimes.