Ateneo sustained its winning ways after grabbing its 11th win of the season at the expense of skidding National University with an 89-75 victory in the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Saturday afternoon, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Blue Eagles got off to a strong start in the first half thanks to Dave Ildefonso who produced 13 points after shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Coming out of halftime with a 61-36 advantage, Ateneo’s lead stretched to as many as 33 in the second half.
However, the Bulldogs eventually tightened their defense to trim the deficit down to 14 in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.
Key baskets from SJ Belangel allowed the defending champions to keep a comfortable cushion for the remainder of the game to secure the win.
“Really good win. We played an exceptionally tough team, I’m sure everyone saw in the second half. But I think our quality of play in the first half is as high a standard as I’ve seen from an Ateneo team,” Tab Baldwin said after successfully keeping their record unblemished thus far.
With the win, the Blue Eagles, who raised their slate to 11-0, have clinched at least a playoff spot for a top two finish. NU, meanwhile, fell to 4-7, a full game behind fourth-running Adamson University.
Dave Ildefonso led Ateneo with 17 points built on five three-pointers to go with nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Ange Kouame added 16 points while SJ Belangel contributed nine points and seven assists.
Ateneo’s starters did most of the heavy lifting in this game with 56 total points as compared to NU’s 32. However, the Bulldogs received better production from their bench mob after outscoring their counterparts, 43-33.
Point off turnovers also spelled a significant difference in the game as Ateneo held a 21-12 edge over NU in this department.
Janjan Felicilda took charge for NU after compiling 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block in 26 minutes and 35 seconds of action. Jake Figueroa also scored 12 points while John Lloyd Clemente generated 10 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Both schools shall next play on Tuesday at the SM MOA Arena. Ateneo De Manila University (11-0) matches up against Adamson (5-6) at 4:30 PM while National University (4-7) faces University of Santo Tomas (3-8) afterward at 7:00 PM.
The Scores:
Ateneo 89 – Ildefonso 17, Kouame 16, Belangel 9, Chiu 9, Verano 8, Mamuyac 8, Andrade 6, Tio 6, Koon 5, Lazaro 5, Padrigao 0, Gomez 0, Daves 0.
NU 75 – Felicilda 12, Figueroa 12, Clemente 10, Gaye 9, Ildefonso 7, Torres 7, Minerva 5, Malonzo 4, Mahinay 4, Galinato 3, Joson 2, Enriquez 0, Manansala 0, Yu 0.
Quarterscores: 29-12, 61-36, 78-49, 89-75.
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