the De La Salle Green Archers suffered its second straight loss to start the UAAP season, falling to the Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles, 97-86 on Sunday afternoon at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kiefer Ravena had a career high 29 points to lead Ateneo, while Blue Eagles swingman Von Pessumal had a 21-point outing, the best of his college career.
Former DLSU big Fonzo Gotladera also played well for Ateneo, finishing with 17.
After Arnold Van Opstal’s free throws tied the game at 61, three straight threes by Ravena broke the game open for Ateneo, which managed to increase its lead up to 12 in the fourth period.
Van Opstal finished with 10 points and nine rebounds while Jason Perkins guided the guys in green and white with 25 and 10.
Almond Vosotros had 18 markers, while Jeron Teng finished with 15. Rookies Prince Rivero and Julian Sargent had four and two, respectively.
DLSU had a total of 13 turnovers which led to 12 Ateneo points and our scored the Blue Eagles 46-28 in the paint.
Tolentino also had a 3-ball in the final period to help put out La Salle, while Gotladera and Nico Elorde sank free throws to put the game out for good.
La Salle looks to bounce back on Wednesday when it takes on National University. The Green Archers currently stand at 0-2 while the Bulldogs are unbeaten at 2-0.
The scores:
Ateneo 97 – Ravena 29, Pessumal 21, Gotladera 17, Tolentino 14, Elorde 9, Newsome 7, Apacible 0, Babilonia 0, Capacio 0, T. Ravena 0
La Salle 86 – Perkins 25, Vosotros 18, Teng 15, Van Opstal 10, N. Torres 8, Rivero 4, Andrada 2, Salem 2, Sargent 2, Bolick 0, Montalbo 0, T. Torres 0
Quarterscores: 17-24; 39-37; 61-59; 97-86