Eagles continue rise, oust Maroons

MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Eagles continued their steady rise in the second round of the UAAP Season 78 as after claiming their fourth straight win at the expense of their Katipunan rival UP Fighting Maroons, 74-65, on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Kiefer Ravena fired 16 points on top of three rebounds and five assists while Adrian Wong provided a great lift off the bench with a season-high 14 points to lead the Eagles, who clinched a Final Four spot with the victory. 

Looking sharper as the Final Four nears, the Eagles broke the game wide open in the second quarter after leading by eight in the first 10 minutes.

Back-to-back hits by Ravena opened up a 17-point lead for the Eagles with 3:40 left before halftime.  The Eagles were never seriously threatened to cruise to victory and improved to 8-4 win-loss mark. They are now 4-1 in the second round after a tumultuous first round which saw some quarters from Ateneo alumni asking for their current head coach Bo Perasol’s head.

Season 78 host UP officially got eliminated from the Final Four race despite a 2-0 start in the tournament.

Former Batang Gilas stalwart Diego Dario led UP with 14 points as they fell to 3-8 record.