The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles continued where they left off after their thorough 72-46 beatdown of the NU Bulldogs, dismantling the University of the East Red Warriors, 89-62, Wednesday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
“We are quite happy with the result,” said Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga.
Besides lifting their record to 3-1, the Blue Eagles extended their streak over the Red Warriors to five games. The last time UE defeated Ateneo was back in November 14, 2015, 74-69.
This is also the Red Warriors’ worst loss of the season, and they have lost all of their games with double-digit margins.
Though this was a reunion between nine Blue Eagles and their former Blue Eaglets head coach and current Red Warriors tactician Joe Silva, it was far from a pleasant one.
“Coming into this game, we wanted to make sure of two things. We gave importance to our rebounds. Secondly, UE always has fast starts. We wanted to make sure that we could match that. We also wanted to make sure that we executed well,” disclosed Arespacochaga.
From tip-off the Blue Eagles locked down their opponents. In the first quarter alone, the defending champions’ defense limited UE to just five field goals while Ateneo scored at will.
Ateneo’s bigs proved to be the difference, with Raffy Verano leading the way with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting. However, the burly forward sprained his right ankle with 8:52 left after stepping on a foot of a UE player as he was attempting a hook shot.
“He had a sprain. We’re going to have our staff check on him. Raffy played well for us and our bigs,” disclosed Arespachoga.
UE showed a semblance of a fightback in the third frame, as Wilson Bartolome and Mark Maloles provided a spark, cutting the lead down to just 14 points, 58-44. However, Thirdy Ravena and William Navarro stopped them in their tracks, helping Ateneo build a 32-point lead, 86-54, late in the game.
Navarro added 11 points, while Angelo Kouame tallied 15 rebounds and eight points. 13 of the 16 Blue Eagles fielded were able to score.
Alvin Pasaol had 17 points and eight rebounds in just 13 shots. Wilson Bartolome chipped in 12 points.
Ateneo shot the lights out in the game, scoring 52 of their 89 points from the perimeter.
Ateneo look to make it four straight win when they face the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Saturday, September 29, at the Filoil Flying V Centre.. UE, on the other hand, look to snap their skid when they face neighbors Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Sunday, September 30, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
ADMU 89 – Verano 12, Navarro 11, Asistio 9, Mendoza 9, Kouame 8, Ravena 8, Go 7, Nieto Ma 6, Nieto Mi 6, Mamuyac 5, Tio 4, Wong 2, Daves 2, Belangel 0, Black 0, Andrade 0
UE 62 – Pasaol 17, Bartolome 12, Conner 8, Manalang 7, Cullar 6, Maloles 6, Varilla 4, Gagate 2, Acuno 0, Gallardo 0, Antiporda 0, Lacap 0, Sobrevega 0
Quarterscores: 24-10, 43-31, 68-44, 89-62
