THE second of the Final Four matchups in Season 79 of University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball fires off this weekend with second seeds Ateneo Blue Eagles battling the defending champions and number three team Far Eastern University Tamaraws at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Following the semifinal tiff between tops seeds De La Salle Green Archers and fourth-seeded Adamson Soaring Falcons, which the former won, it is now time for Ateneo and FEU to dispute the other semifinal seat beginning with their 4 p.m. encounter tomorrow. Incidentally, the Eagles (10-4) hold a twice-to-beat advantage over the Tamaraws (9-5).
Ateneo dominated FEU in their elimination set-tos, winning in each of their two games.
The Eagles took the first game, 76-71, with Thirdy Ravena leading the way with 17 points. They followed it up with another victory the next time, 74-59, with Ravena once again at the forefront with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Ravena leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 9.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Adrian Wong has been good for 9.4 points while Mike Nieto is third-running with 8.3.
The Katipunan-based Eagles are the hottest team heading into the Final Four, winning their last six games, something they hope to build on in their quest for a return trip to the finals.
BREAKTHROUGH
While Ateneo has had their number so far this season, FEU coach Nash Racela is still confident that they can break through against Ateneo, believing they have grown as a team after hitting a rough patch to close out the elimination round -- losing three straight at one point -- that affected their semifinal positioning.
“Important for us is to show consistency and a winning mind-set heading into the Final Four. The three straight losses were tough but they are an opportunity for us to grow as a group,” said Mr. Racela following their last elimination game, a win over University of the East, 64-61, that snapped their losing skid.
“While we lost twice to Ateneo in the elimination round, we felt that we had a chance and we just need to make adjustments and make it happen in the playoffs,” he added.
Raymar Jose is the top guy for FEU with double-double averages of 11.1 points and 11 rebounds.
Monbert Arong is chipping 9.4 points per game and Axel Iñigo 8.3 markers.
If necessary, Game Two of the Ateneo-FEU semifinals happens on Nov. 30 while the best-of-three finals begin on Dec. 3.
