THE DEFENDING University Athletic Association of the Philippines champions Ateneo Blue Eagles continued to lord it over in Season 82, repeating on rivals De La Salle Green Archers, 77-69, in league action on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Took their first encounter in the opening round, the Eagles put out a steady attack in their second meet-up to stay on top of the Archers and race to a 10-0 record, earning a Final Four spot in the process.
Adrian Wong led Ateneo in the victory with 18 points, boosted by a solid 4-of-7 shooting from the three-point land.
Thirdy Ravena finished with 13 and seven rebounds while big man Ange Kouame had a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds.
The two teams had it tight to begin the contest but the Eagles would hold sway after the first 10 minutes, 19-15.
In the second quarter, the jostling continued as both teams tried to dictate the tempo of the match.
Encho Serrano kept the Archers in the thick of things but Wong, Ravena and Kouame had the defending champions with steady answers.
When the quarter smoke cleared, the Eagles were still ahead, 36-30.
Ateneo kept control of the match to begin the third canto but La Salle was undeterred, staying within striking distance, 55-50, at the end of the third.
With momentum still in their favor, the Eagles soared to an 11-point lead, 61-50, to open the fourth quarter.
The Green Archers made a run after and got to within six, 61-55, after a Justine Baltazar bucket with 7:13 left, but Ravena and Gian Mamuyac conspired in pulling away, scoring seven unanswered points to build a 13-point advantage, 68-55, with 3:50 remaining.
Jamie Malonzo attempted to spark one last rally for La Salle, but Wong was just too steady from the stripe, burying three of his four charities in the final 23.5 seconds to ice the game for good.
“It was a case of the next guy stepping up for us. If Adrian did not come out hot in the first half we would have been in trouble,” said Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin after their victory.
The win was the 20th for the Eagles dating back to last season and pushed them a step closer to completing a sweep of the elimination round.
La Salle, which dropped to 4-5, was led by Serrano with 15 points, followed by Baltazar with 12 points.
Andrei Caracut had 11 points while Malonzo finished with a double of 10 points and 12 boards.
The Eagles next play on Wednesday, Oct. 16, against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws (4-5) while La Salle takes on the University of the East Red Warriors (3-7) on the same day. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
