Overeagerness takes its toll on struggling Ravena

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo star Kiefer Ravena struggled mightily in the Eagles’ crucial loss to NU Wednesday, and he attributing his poor play to overeagerness, which he claimed led him out of rhythm.

"Well it’s just one of those games siguro na you can't really play the game that you expect kahit focused ka on doing everything to win. Sometimes it doesn't work in your favor," said Ravena, who finished with only three points while shooting a listless 1-of-11 from the field.

"Nanggigil talaga ako kanina (Wednesday) tapos two early fouls that got me out of the rhythm and yun, na-foul out pa ako sa huli," he added.

Ateneo dropped fifth place in the standings with a 7-6 record, behind solo fourth placer UST (7-5).

Despite the loss, the six-peat seeking Eagles are still in contention for the Final Four.

"There is still a chance. I mean di pa naman sarado ang opportunity para mag-Final Four kami. Ang masama lang doon, we don’t have it in our hands. Hawak pa sana namin destiny namin this season," said Ravena, who also fouled out for the first time in his UAAP career.

"Pero ganun talaga, you have to deal with what we have right now and focus on the next game," he added.

Ateneo will wait for the result of the La Salle-UST game on Saturday, and a win by the Tigers will give them a virtual twice-to-beat advantage for the fourth spot. A loss by UST, meanwhile, will result in a do-or-die scenario in their game next week on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The UST-Ateneo game is set at 4 p.m. Wednesday