In their first meeting in 900 days, Ateneo de Manila University showed archrival De La Salle University what it needs to make the leap.
The defending UAAP Men’s Basketball Champions extended their winning streak to 30 games, taking down archrivals Green Archers, 74-57, to remain as the only unbeaten team in UAAP Season 84, Saturday evening, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Blue Eagles last tasted defeat back on October 10, 2018 — a 63-60 loss to Far Eastern University.
But Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin opined that this batch of Green Archers was a tough one to crack.
“Tough game,” said Baldwin, who hiked his head-to-head record versus La Salle to 9-4. “It was never comfortable until the end. The defense was solid in the game as was theirs.”
With the scoreline at 42-41, Kouame’s power move inside the paint capped off a 13-2 run that extended the Blue Eagles’ cushion to 56-43 with 1:20 in the third period. SJ Belangel then provided Ateneo its biggest lead in the ballgame at 69-52 with 2:40 remaining in the ballgame.
Kouame led the Blue Eagles with a monster game of 16 points, 19 rebounds, and two blocks followed by Dave Ildefonso’s 12 points. Gian Mamuyac had himself a line as well with 11 points, six steals, six rebounds, and an assist.
For the second straight game, all Blue Eagles fielded scored.
Ateneo had 15 points off turnovers and 41 starter points compared to La Salle’s five and 23.
Rookie big man Michael Phillips led the Green Archers with 13 points and 10 rebounds followed by Mark Nonoy’12 points and Evan Nelle’s 10 points.
Senior power forward Justine Baltazar had 12 rebounds but was limited to just five points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field while Deschon Winston was held down to just six points on 2-of-13 shooting with six turnovers.
“I think both teams played themselves to a standstill. It was a great Ateneo-La Salle game. We are looking forward to NU this Tuesday. It doesn’t get easier,” added Baldwin as they face the Bulldogs at 7:00 PM with fans back in the stands.
Meanwhile, La Salle (3-1) takes on University of Santo Tomas at 10:00 AM also on Tuesday.
The Scores:
Ateneo 74 – Kouame 16, Ildefonso 12, Mamuyac 11, Belangel 8, Tio 6, Koon 6, Chiu 6, Andrade 3, Verano 2, Padrigao 2, Lazaro 2.
DLSU 57 – Phillips M. 13, Nonoy 12, Nelle 10, Lojera 9, Winston 6, Baltazar 5, Nwankwo 2, Manuel 0, Austria 0, Phillips B. 0.
Quarterscores: 16-11, 35-32, 58-45, 74-57.
—
All UAAP games stream live on GigaPlay presented by Yamaha. Download it now on Android or IOS.
