Ateneo still undefeated

Far from its sharpest form, Ateneo still figured out how to sustain its winning ways last Wednesday, while sending University of Santo Tomas reeling to one of its worst starts in recent memory.

The Blue Eagles came away with a 94-84 victory over the Tigers Wednesday night for their fifth straight win that solidified their hold of the top spot in UAAP Season 80 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Matt Nieto fired a season- high 22 points, Isaac Go finished with 13 points, and Thirdy Ravena added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Eagles, who weathered a third quarter barrage from the Tigers.

Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga said the Eagles were fortunate to come away with a win.

“I don’t know if anyone noticed with our mood, but we weren’t happy with the game, we weren’t happy with the way that we went up and down in our energy, we weren’t happy with the consistency of the calls,” said Arespacochaga. “We’re happy that we won the game, but at the same time we’re not happy with our performance.”

Earlier, Arvin Tolentino dished out his best performance of the season so far as Far Eastern U picked up a second straight win after turning back National U, 90-83.

The transferee from Ateneo scattered 23 points, including a bank shot with 1:24 remaining that extended the Tamaraws’ lead, 86-81, on their way to a third win in five games.

“I like the way the boys continued to put in the effort in practice despite our bad start in the first three games,” head coach Olsen Racela said.

UST’s fifth loss of the season was aided by a spate of turnovers and missed free throws in the final period, where the Tigers were held to just 13 points.

For a change, the Eagles encountered stiffer resistance as the Tigers clawed their way back from a 22-point deficit with a strong third quarter performance that allowed them to pull within 81-80.