Stats race: Ravena tows 2 Tigers

ATENEO may boast the league’s finest player in Kiefer Ravena, but a terrific tandem is what seems to work for the top UAAP teams.

University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University have their best pairs landing on the list of top 10 players as the two squads wound up leaders with similar 6-1 records at the end of the first round of action.

Ravena, last season’s Most Valuable Player, again emerged as the MVP race topnotcher after amassing a leaguebest 70.58 statistical points (SP) halfway through the elimination round.

But Ravena—second overall in scoring with 18.3 points per game and also No. 1 in assists (5.0 apg), second in steals (1.7 spg) and ninth in rebounds (7.1 rpg)—turned out to be the only Ateneo player in the top 10.

The Tigers have the explosive duo of Kevin Ferrer (68.28 SP) and Ed Daquioag (65.0 SP) running second and third, respectively, in the race.

For the Tamaraws, the tandem of Mac Belo (57.85 SP) and Mike Tolomia (55.85), who ranked sixth and seventh overall, made things happen.

The Tigers and the Tamaraws, in fact, have the most players on the list as UST slotman Karim Abdul also took the eighth spot (53.0 SP) and FEU’s much improved big man Raymar Jose landed ninth (52.0 SP).

“It’s expected that the other teams will concentrate on us [after finishing No. 1 in the first round],” said UST coach Bong Dela Cruz. “I want to see the other players to step up.”

Others in the top 10 are National U’s Alfred Aroga (61.14), fourth; La Salle’s Jeron Teng (60.14), fifth; and University of the East’s Bonbon Batiller (51.42), 10th.