Ateneo Blue Eagles bow to South Korea, pick up first loss in Jones Cup

Ricardo Ratliffe

The Philippines-Ateneo Blue Eagles failed to ride on their winning momentum as they fell to Asian basketball giant South Korea, 73-90, on Monday, July 16, in the 2018 William Jones Cup. Ferdinand Ravena (189-G-96) led the Blue Eagles's offense with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, while Kakou Kouame (213-C-97) flirted with a double-double of 16 rebounds and 8 points. Ricardo Ratliffe (203-F-89, college: Missouri) and Heo Ilyoung scored 15 points apiece to lead South Korea's balanced scoring effort. South Korea spelled a difference in team assists, outpassing the Blue Eagles 30-12. The Blue Eagles were trailing by 10 points, 60-70, heading into the final frame. With less than 5 minutes remaining in the game, Ateneo missed back-to-back triples in its attempts to cut the deficit. South Korea's 7-0 run stretched the lead to 16 points, 87-71, with 2:03 left to play and continued to limit the Blue Eagles offense to close out the game. Gilas Pilipinas lost to South Korea by 32 points, 86-118, in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals. The Ateneo Blue Eagles will be facing Canada on Tuesday, July 17, at 3 pm.
Courtesy of: rappler.com