Ateneo narrowly misses Jones Cup podium finish
Blue Eagles end up fourth with winning record of 5-3
THE quest of the Ateneo Blue Eagles to finish in the top three of the 2018 William Jones Cup fell short on Sunday after they bowed to Iran B on the final day of competition, 70-63.
Needing just a victory to a get a shot at placing on the podium of the annual tournament in Taiwan, the Blue Eagles pushed the Iranians to the limit but just could not complete the task in the end to wind up at fourth place after nine days of competitive basketball.
The Blue Eagles got off to a slow start against Iran, feeling the initial effects of playing anew less than 24 hours since their last game.
They, however, would eventually find their groove, with Matt Nieto, Thirdy Ravena and Isaac Go leading the charge.
Ateneo was just down by a solitary point, 15-14, at the end of the first quarter.
In the second canto, Iran regained some bearing, opening with a 23-18 lead in the early goings.
But the Blue Eagles soared thereafter, going on an 11-0 run to build a 29-23 cushion with four minutes left in the quarter.
Mike Nieto then waxed hot from three-point land to help Ateneo to a 39-31 advantage at the halftime break.
The Iranians exploded to start the third quarter with Vahid Dalirhazan and Rasoul Mozafarivanani finding the mark from beyond the arc.
They opened things with a 10- 2 blast to level the count at 41-all with three minutes lapsing in the quarter.
It was a leverage that they would use to move on and complete a turnaround that saw them holding a 54-50 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
With the outcome of the match still wide open at the beginning of the fourth quarter, both teams jockeyed for position to gain the momentum for the finishing kick.
The score stood at 60-57 with Iran ahead with five minutes left in the contest.
Ateneo tried to claw its way back but Iran would find ways to keep the Blue Eagles at bay as it held on for the victory.
Dalirzahan led Iran with 26 points with Mozafarivanani adding 16 points and eight assists.
Matt Nieto top-scored for Ateneo with 14 points while Ravena added 12.
Kakou Kouame finished with 11 points and 14 boards for the Tab Baldwin-coached Blue Eagles.
3D Global Sports of Canada (7-1), Iran B (7-1) and South Korea (6-1) were expected to finish ahead of Ateneo. South Korea was to play its final game against Chinese Taipei Blue ( 4- 3) later yesterday.
STILL A SUCCESS
Despite falling short of finishing in the top three, Ateneo’s Jones Cup campaign was still a success.
The first full-collegiate team to fly the Philippine colors in the annual tournament, the Blue Eagles had their share of doubters over their ability to compete in Taiwan.
But Ateneo would prove them wrong at the onset, making known that they were out not only to be mere participants in the Jones Cup.
The Blue Eagles opened their bid on July 15 with a huge win over Chinese Taipei White, 87-64.
But they would lose back-toback to South Korea, 90-73, and 3D Global Sports, 86-78, in their next two assignments.
Undeterred of the early tumble it had, Ateneo responded with four straight victories after, defeating Japan, Indonesia, LSUAtletas of Lithuania and Chinese Taipei Blue in that order.
The victory over Chinese Taipei Blue, 77-76, on July 21 was fashioned out in dramatic fashion with guard Matt Nieto draining the game-winning three-pointer.
Down, 76-74, with 3.1 seconds left on the clock, Ateneo set up Nieto for the dagger trey off an inbound play to stun the hometown team and crowd and propel itself to a good position to have a podium finish.
The fourth place of Ateneo tied the finish in 2017 of the Philippine team composed of Gilas Pilipinas players like Kiefer Ravena, Christian Standhardinger, Mac Belo, Kevin Ferrer, Roger Pogoy and then Philippine Basketball Association import Mike Myers.