MANILA -- The only college team in this year's Jones Cup showed that it can compete with a national team pool.
Ateneo opened its campaign in the said tournament with an 87-64 rout of Chinese Taipei White on Sunday night.
The Blue Eagles tightened up on their defense in the last three quarters, limiting CT White to just 13 points in the second quarter and 12 in the fourth, while maintaining good offense all game long.
Thirdy Ravena led Ateneo with 17 points, five rebounds, three steals, and one block.
Franck Kouame added 15 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal.
Oscar Kao made 16 markers, four boards, and one assist off the bench for CT White, the Taiwanese national team's Team B.
The Scores:
Ateneo 87 - Ravena 17, Kouame 15, Mendoza 11, Go 10, Nieto Ma. 8, Verano 8, Mamuyac 4, Tio 4, Asistio 3, Nieto Mi. 3, Black 2, Navarro 2.
Chinese Taipei White 64 - Kao 16, Lin C 15, Lin T 12, Chen K 8, Chen Y 7, Wang 3, Wu 2, Chien 1, Lai 0, Lu 0, Sun 0, Hsu 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20, 48-33, 67-52, 87-64. (PNA)
