The opening salvo of the UAAP Season 80 Men’s Basketball Finals got chippy quickly, as Ateneo’s third-year floor general Matt Nieto suffered a nasty cut.
With 36.6 seconds remaining in the first half and the Blue Eagles up 43-36, Nieto went to help Kris Porter seal reigning Most Valuable Player Ben Mbala. As the 6-foot-8 Mbala went for a shot, his left elbow accidentally hit the 6-foot-1 Nieto in the face.
The hit resulted in a cut above Nieto’s left eye. He had to be taken out of the game after the team’s medics could not stop the bleeding.
As of halftime, Nieto has already scored nine points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting clip.
Ateneo leads La Salle, 43-39, entering the second half.
