Ravena blames self for Ateneo loss to La Salle

MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo star Kiefer Ravena took responsibility for Ateneo’s close 86-88 loss to archrival La Salle in their second round UAAP Season 77 match-up Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

While he pointed out his poor shooting, Ravena also cited the defense played on him by La Salle stoppers Julian Sargent and Robert Bolick.

"They played good defense. We didn’t make our shots and they had a good start. They played excellently in the first half. We have to improve on that. We can’t let that happen again," Ravena said.

"(Julian) is pretty strong and quick. It's all on me to find a way to make it work for us," added the 6'0 guard.

But the Archers’ lockdown defense, according to Ravena, shouldn’t be an excuse.

"(Robert) Bolick played good defense, but it's just me not making my shots. It's not an excuse for me na they played good defense," he continued.

Ravena managed to score 22 points but shot a woeful 35 percent from the field. He recorded only seven points in the second half after exploding for 15 markers in the second period.

"Breaks of the game. Jeron (Teng) played well and killed us in the first half. With us playing that way, the game could've been either way pa rin in the end, pero napunta sa kanila yun so we have to focus on UE now," said Ravena.

For his part, DLSU coach Juno Sauler praised Sargent and Bolick for a solid job defending Ravena.

"We just keep on changing match-ups between Bolick and Sargent. Ravena will always be Ravena. The best thing you can about him is challenge is shots as much as possible," said Sauler.

Ravena also pointed out their foul trouble as one of the culprits to the Eagles’ poor start, with the Katipunan-based squad trailing 10-19 at the end of the first quarter.

"The foul trouble really affected us in the rotation changes. Also Chris (Newsome) is always a threat when he is inside so medyo nabawasan yun sa amin," he said.