Kevin Quiambao reset his career-high with 33 points as De La Salle University asserted its dominance over rival Ateneo de Manila University, 80-65, marking their seventh consecutive win in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The reigning MVP tallied 33 points, surpassing his previous career-high of 29 set against the University of Santo Tomas just 10 days ago in a 94-87 overtime win. Quiambao also pulled down 13 rebounds to bolster his performance.
“It’s a good win for us pero malayo pa kami sa gusto naming mapuntahan,” shared Quiambao.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The Green Archers swept their elimination round games against the Blue Eagles, having also won their first-round encounter, 74-61.
This sweep is La Salle’s first against Ateneo since Season 76 (2013), when players like Jeron Teng, Norbert Torres, LA Revilla, and Almond Vosotros led the charge.
“Every time you play Ateneo, it’s always something to value. We know it’s gonna be a hard-fought game; that team has a strong winning tradition, so we just kept our composure,” said Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson.
The win propelled La Salle to a league-best 10-1 record while snapping Ateneo’s two-game win streak, pushing the Blue Eagles down to seventh place with a 3-7 record.
At one point, the Green Archers’ lead reached 18, after EJ Gollena sank two free throws at the 8:02 mark of the fourth period.
Despite Ateneo’s efforts, with Jared Bahay, Ian Espinosa, Chris Koon, and Sean Quitevis cutting the deficit to nine with 3:47 remaining, 64-73, La Salle’s trio of Quiambao, Mike Phillips, and Joshua David maintained control, sealing a wire-to-wire victory.
David and Gollena contributed nine points each, while CJ Austria and Vhoris Marasigan added seven apiece for La Salle.
La Salle will have a nine-day break before facing Far Eastern University on November 6 at the MOA Arena.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Rookie Jared Bahay of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu led the Blue Eagles with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, along with four assists.
Ateneo’s next game will be against the University of the Philippines on Wednesday, also at the Pasay venue.
The Scores:
DLSU 80 – Quiambao 33, David 9, Gollena 9, Austria 7, Marasigan 7, Macalalag 5, M. Phillips 4, Ramiro 3, Gonzales 2, Dungo 1, Agunanne 0.
Ateneo 65 – Bahay 22, Koon 9, Porter 8, Tuano 8, Espinosa 6, Lazaro 6, Quitevis 5, Bongo 1, Balogun 0, Ong 0, Gamber 0, Espina 0.
Quarterscores: 17-11, 42-33, 63-48, 80-65.
