MANILA, Philippines -- Kiefer Ravena unleashed another clutch performance for Ateneo, helping the Blue Eagles escape a gutsy UE side, 78-73, in Season 77 of the UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.
With 33.4 ticks left and the game still hanging in the balance, it was another perfect opportunity for Ravena to further add to his growing list of endgame heroics.
Ateneo held a slim 73-72 margin before Ravena uncorked a booming triple over the outstretched arms of Emil Palma and Charles Mammie with 14.2 seconds left, giving the Eagles more breathing room.
UE designed a play for Mammie that got them to the foul line, but the Sierra Leone native split his charities. Ateneo’s Von Pessumal then grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled.
Pessumal calmly drained the two clutch free throws, and UE was unable to get a clean look in their final possession.
"What can I say? Parang ginawa lang ng teammates niya na sila ang nag-bake ng lahat tapos si Kiefer yung naglagay ng icing sa cake," said ADMU coach Bo Perasol, referring to the standout performances of the other Eagles prior to Ravena’s heroics.
"Nakikita ko nag-co-coast siya noong first half kaya sinabihan ko si Kief, ‘you have up the ante.’ Siya rin naman ang nag-deliver in the end," he added.
Chris Newsome fired 23 points while Ravena and Pessumal scattered 16 and 13 markers, respectively.
Perasol heaped praise on the graduating Newsome for his huge role as a consistent performer for the Katipunan-based squad.
"He really has that capacity to defend the scorers of other teams, and the bonus is he's also scoring for us. Napakalaking tulong niya sa team namin," said Perasol.
"Aside from Kiefer delivering for us in the end, yung stability ni Chris and yung leadership ni Nico (Elorde) are big factors for the team," he further said.
Elorde and Fonso Gotladera added 11 points apiece to add to the Eagles’ cause.
Ravena, for his part, bared that he was motivated by the jeers from the UE crowd, which chanted “One Big Flop” throughout the game, a swipe at the Ateneo guard for his supposed knack for flopping.
"Like any player coming from a loss, I wanted to bounce back. Kanina nag chi-cheer ng ‘One Big Flop’ yung UE crowd. Nakaka-motivate to play even more," said Ravena.
Mammie led the Warriors with 15 points while Sumang struggled with only 10 markers.
Ravena and Sumang poured 38 and 30 points, respectively, in their first round match-up.
Ateneo improved their record to 7-2 (win-loss) to take the solo first spot in the standings while UE dropped to solo sixth place with a 4-5 card.