After a shaky start in the UAAP Season 86 basketball tournaments, the Ateneo Blue Eagles have regained their winning form, finishing the first-round battles on a high note, thanks to Mason Amos.
Amos delivered stellar performances in his last two games to tow the Blue Eagles to their first back-to-back wins this season to get the nod of the Collegiate Press Corps as the UAAP Men’s Player of the Week.
Amos, the rookie ace and a gold medalist for Gilas Pilipinas in the Cambodia SEA Games, shone in the “Battle of Katipunan,” scoring 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, accompanied by 10 rebounds. This helped the defending champions secure a thrilling overtime victory over the previously undefeated University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons with a final score of 99-89 last Sunday.
In fact, his personal 5-0 spurt in the extra period broke the 85-all deadlock with 2:14 left to play, making it impossible for the Fighting Maroons to mount a comeback. This win improved their record to 4-3.
Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin acknowledged the pivotal shots made by his players in overtime, especially by the Fil-Australian Amos. He noted that making such shots is the only way to win significant games, especially against the Fighting Maroons.
However, Amos downplayed his individual performance, crediting their victory to his teammates and their impressive defense in the anticipated finals rematch. Over the last two seasons, Ateneo and UP have taken turns ruling the UAAP.
“Honestly, it was a team effort. If we didn’t have all our guys stepping up today, I don’t think we’d get the job done, so props to the team…We really played defense until the final buzzer and we went to OT. So, it was an up-and-down game, I just wanna give credit to the guys because they deserve it,” he told the press.
Amos was also pivotal in Ateneo’s 97-77 victory against the struggling UST last Wednesday, contributing 15 points in just 12 minutes of action.
The 6-foot-7 Fil-Australian rookie averaged 17.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting 60 percent from the three-point area, outperforming Nic Cabañero of UST and his teammate Chris Koon for the weekly honors presented by San Miguel Corporation and supported by minor sponsors Discovery Suites and Jockey.
Ateneo is aiming to extend its winning streak to three games on October 25 when they face the FEU Tamaraws at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
