Kiefer Ravena FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Kiefer Ravena redeemed himself after a poor outing against University of Santo Tomas with 33 points to lead Ateneo over Letran, 88-81, Monday in the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup at the Arena in San Juan.
Ravena also had six rebounds, six assists, two steals and just one turnover in 31 minutes as the Blue Eagles improved to 4-1.
“It’s good that Kiefer was able to bounce back from a not so good game in our last game,” said Ateneo head coach Bo Perasol.
“This is one of the games I want my team to hurdle against… my emphasis would be do whatever it takes. My point is, whatever it takes they have to do things that [they] are not comfortable with in order for us to win. We have to internalize that lesson,” said Perasol, whose team shot 50% from the field while also limiting the Knights to 38%.
Chris Newsome added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Von Pessumal shot all of his nine points from beyond-the-arc and grabbed six rebounds off the bench.
Letran unveiled its prized rookie Rey Nambatac, who didn’t disappoint.
Nambatac, a former Philippine youth team member, led Letran with 19 points — showcasing his ability to get to the free throw line with 11 attempts at the line and missing only one.
“We saw what Rey Nambatac is capable of,” Ravena, who scored just seven points in a 57-63 loss to the Growling Tigers last Saturday, told INQUIRER.net. “It was the first time I was actually challenged and I wasn’t surprised how much he did well.”
“He responded well, actually he responded great to the hype on his approach to the college level,” the 19-year-old Ravena added.
The six-foot Nambatac, a high school standout with the Letran Squires, also had two steals in a team-high 32 minutes.
Lanky center Raymond Almazan also logged in 32 minutes for the Knights and was able to notch a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Mark Cruz, who came off the bench, posted 18 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block.