
Ateneo Blue Eagles forward Thirdy Ravena dropped a massive 38 points to seal the deal as his team won another championship versus University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 99-81.
It seems like the younger Ravena saved his best performance in this season not only to wow the crowd inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum but of course to let everyone know how talented and worthy for an award.
Prior to the game started, UAAP Season 81 gave away trophies for individual performances and surprisingly Ravena hasn’t won any.
To make sure that apart from winning another championship trophy, Ravena’s dazzling performance in Game 2 of the Finals is enough for him to bag the UAAP Season 81 Finals MVP award.
Apart from his career-high in scoring, Ravena also had five rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Angelo Kouame who was limited to only a single digit in scoring in Game 1 went berserk in Game 2.
Koume delivered double-double performance with his 22 points and 21 rebounds.
Similar to what happened in Finals opener match, Ateneo took control the game by dominating the first quarter. They were able to mount a 12-point lead to make sure the momentum is on their side.
In the following quarter, UP tried to answer back by scoring 24 points against Ateneo’s 23 markers. Yet, the lead which was set by the Blue Eagles in the first period was enough for them to carry 11-point advantage as they head to second half.
In the third quarter, Ateneo’s experience playing in the UAAP biggest stage continue as they buried the Fighting Maroons deeper.
In the final quarter, the game was converted like scrimmage match as the lead of the Blue Eagles keep increasing. The boys of coach Tab Baldwin wanted to make sure that they’re far from striking distance until the final buzzer has sounded.
Thirdy Ravena pulling off a UAAP x WWE crossover! #UAAPFinals pic.twitter.com/hE7xMN4EWj
— Danine Cruz (@the9cruz) December 5, 2018
UAAP Season 81 MVP Bright Akheutie had a much better performance compared to Game 1 as he logged 19 points and 7 rebounds. However, his overall performance still far from his MVP form before he suffered an injury.
Prior to the start of the game, the match got delayed for several hours. The officials wanted to remove the knee brace which Akhueti was wearing as it’s against the tournament’s rules.
With his desire to play and help his UP squad, Akhueti agreed to remove the brace which could help him move better and may give a different result.
Juan Gomez de Liaño poured 24 points while Paul Desiderio chipped in 15 points in his last game as a UP Fighting Maroons.
Ateneo vs University of the Philippines Box Score
Quarters: 25-13 | 48-37 | 70-56 | 99-81.
Blue Eagles (99): Ravena 38, Kouame 22, Verano 11, Tio 7, Nieto Ma. 6, Asistio 6, Belangel 6, Go 3
Fighting Maroons (81): Gomez de Liaño Ju. 24, Akhuetie 19, Desiderio 15, Gomez de Liaño Ja. 11, Dario 8, Lim 2, Vito 2