When the going got tough, captain Gian Mamuyac took over after halftime to power Ateneo de Manila University to a 94-72 victory, over University of the East, Thursday, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Mamuyac, who scored 21 points and nine rebounds in the game, was the spark plug Ateneo needed to propel it towards its 32nd straight win. His leadership on the floor allowed the Blue Eagles to tighten up their defense and he converted timely shots to turn it all upside down.
Despite the huge endgame scoreline, Ateneo worked hard as UE made things interesting in the first two quarters, which saw both sides level at 39-all.
“We have problems and I think they manifest themselves at times in games,” said Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin. “I think we have to work hard to clean them up. We missed Raffy Verano today and I think that at the beginning of the game, we lacked a bit of energy and lacked a bit of cohesion without him out there.”
The Blue Eagles came to life in the third quarter. With the scores tied 48-all thanks to an Ange Kouame basket, Ateneo went on a 17-7 run powered by Mamuyac’s 13 points in the period as the Blue Eagles entered the final period with a 65-55 cushion.
Ateneo then had its biggest lead of the ballgame, 90-64, at the 3:47 mark of the fourth quarter thanks to Mamuyac’s basket.
Similar to Mamuyac, Kouame also led Ateneo with 21 points and 13 rebounds respectively. Dave Ildefonso had 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists while SJ Belangel had 12 points.
Rookie forward Josh Lazaro, who filled in for the absent Verano, played 14 minutes and had a plus/minus rating of +22 along with two points and four rebounds.
The Blue Eagles had a good interior game with 60 rebounds, 17 second-chance points, and 42 inside points compared to the Red Warriors’ 37 rebounds, four second-chance points, and 22 points in the paint.
“I think finally in the fourth quarter we did a better job defending their three-point shooting,” added Baldwin. “I think in the end, the rebounding stats were pretty convincing. We got to the line a lot. We got the ball inside in the second half. Ange had a big game in the second half.”
However, Ateneo lost the ball 16 times, which led to UE’s 15 turnover points.
Kyle Paranada and Harvey Pagsanjan led UE with 15 points each. Clint Escamis also contributed eight points, five assists, and five rebounds.
Both teams resume their campaigns on Saturday at the SM MOA Arena in Pasay City. UE (0-6) goes up against National University at 10:00 AM while Ateneo (6-0) shall take on University of Santo Tomas at 4:00 PM.
The Scores:
Ateneo 94 – Mamuyac 21, Kouame 21, Ildefonso 12, Belangel 12, Daves 6, Gomez 5, Tio 4, Koon 4, Chiu 4, Mendoza 3, Lazaro 2, Padrigao 0, Andrade 0, Mallilin 0.
UE 72 – Paranada K 15, Pagsanjan 15, Escamis 8, Paranada N 8, Guevarra 6, Antiporda 6, Cruz 4, Lorenzana 4, Catacutan 4, Beltran 2, Abatayo 0, Sawat 0, Villanueva 0, Tulabut 0, Cruz 0, Pascual 0.
Quarterscores: 15-15, 39-39, 65-55, 94-72.
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