Godslove Nwabude and Ian Espinosa teamed up to tow Ateneo de Manila University to a dominant 110-43 victory against Philippine Christian University in Group Prime of the 2023 Pinoyliga Collegiate Cup, Tuesday at the Enderun Gymnasium.
The Blue Eagles rose to a 7-0 record to clinch a twice-to-beat advantage in the second round.
Nwabude and Espinosa both recorded double-double performances, with the former producing 14 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks, and an assist, while the latter tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals.
Jordi Gomez De Liano and Paul Garcia scored 16 points each for the Blue Eagles, with Gomez De Liano also grabbing eight rebounds and three assists.
Lebron Nieto also produced 10 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists for Ateneo.
On the other hand, Mo Faye paved the way for the 0-8 Dolphins, registering a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Gabi Diño and Leonard Maraña provided support with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
In the second Group Prime match, Omar John steered National University to secure a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals after outlasting Mapua University, 104-101.
John, who scored a crucial basket with 30 seconds left to force overtime, almost notched a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Mike Malonzo provided a double-double performance for the Bulldogs, scoring 13 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Steve Nash Enriquez scored high with 26 points, four assists, and two steals.
Patrick Yu and Jolo Manansala each scored 14 points for NU as well.
Meanwhile, Paolo Hernandez led the charge of the Cardinals with 21 points, three rebounds, and five assists.
Christopher Recto nearly achieved a double-double of 13 points and eight rebounds for Mapua, while John Dalisay supplied 18 points.
Warren Bonifacio and Cyrus Cuenco recorded 17 points each for the losing cause.
NU dashed through its fourth straight win with a 5-1 slate, while Mapua suffered its second consecutive loss to go 5-2.
Meanwhile, Jose Rizal University no showed their game against Guang Ming College, losing via forfeit.
The Flying Dragons snapped their three-game losing skid, and now have a 3-5 record, while the Heavy Bombers dropped to their second straight loss, 2-5.
In the lone Group Edge game, Far Eastern University clinched a quarterfinals spot after trouncing an 8-man University of Perpetual Help System DALTA squad, 83-52.
Luke Felipe led the charge of the Tamaraws, scoring 16 points, two rebounds and a steal, while Rojan Montemayor and incoming freshman Janrey Pasaol tallied nine and eight points, respectively.
FEU stayed alive in the playoff race with an even 3-3 slate, while Perpetual fell to its third straight loss to fall to 3-4.
The Altas only had limited players because majority of them are playing in the PBA D-League Semifinals Game 2 against De La Salle University.
Shawn Orgo was the sole double-digit scorer for Perpetual, producing a game-high 24 points, along with two rebounds, four assists, and six steals.
The Scores:
First Game
GMC 20 —
JRU 0 —
Quarterscores: 20-0.
Second Game
FEU 83 — Felipe 16, Montemayor 9, Pasaol 8, Konateh 7, Faty 6, Macapagal 6, Guibao 6, Ona 5, Tempra 5, Annonuevo 5, Alforque 3, Sleat 2, Buenaventura 2, Bagunu 2, Songvuya 1.
Perpetual 52 — Orgo 24, Movida 9, Gelsano 7, Buraga 5, Thompson 5, Santos 2, Caugiran 0.
Quarterscores: 23-15, 43-31, 65-36, 83-52.
Third Game
NU 104 — Enriquez 26, Omar 16, Yu 14, Manansala 14, Malonzo 13, Lim 5, Palacielo 4, Diassana 4, Casinillo 3, Galinato 2, Santiago 2, Perciano 1, Gulapa 0, Abiera 0, Francisco 0, Parks 0.
Mapua 101 — Hernandez 21, Dalisay 18, Cuenco 17, Bonifacio 17, Recto 13, Soriano 5, Garcia 5, Igliane 3, Sabsalon 2, Asuncion 0, Jugo 0.
Quarterscores: 19-25, 45-59, 67-81, 96-96 104-101.
Fourth Game
Ateneo 110 — Gomez De Liano 16, Garcia 16, Nwabude 14, Espinosa 10, Nieto 10, Demisana 9, Opeña 8, Bongo 7, Ong 5, Tan 4, Ladimo 4, Tanjangco 4, Coral 3, Tuaño 0.
PCU 43 — Diño 12, Faye 11, Maraña 11, Ramos 4, Luza 3, Abella 2, Ordoñez 0.
Quarterscores: 22-10, 48-21, 78-32, 110-43.
