THE ATENEO Blue Eagles defeated the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 63-46, on Saturday, September 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
This win put the Blue Eagles at a 4-o slate in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). Meanwhile, FEU dropped to a 2-1 record.
Angelo Kouame led the Blue and White with 14 points and 12 boards while Adrian Wong followed closely, finishing with a stat line of 13 markers and five assists with a 3/5 clip from downton.
From the get-go, Ateneo displayed their brilliance on the defensive end, allowing only 15 FEU points in the first 20 minutes of action. During the second half, the Blue Eagles began to pull away in the third quarter with a 14-5 run sparked by back-to-back three-point bombs from Wong.
Despite the unrelenting efforts by the Tamaraws in the fourth, the Blue Eagles held onto their lead by outscoring FEU 16-14 behind an overall collective effort.
Every member of the team was fielded in today, which marked the UAAP Seniors’ debuts for former Blue Eaglets Jason Credo and Geo Chiu. Troy Manlilin also made his season debut—his first taste of UAAP action since Season 80.
Despite only scoring four points throughout the entire game, Will Navarro received high praise from Head Coach Tab Baldwin. The starting power forward ended the game with a plus-minus of +30.
“The reason [for Navarro’s] +30 is because he understands the little things that have to be done and the things that make the team play better. If we get everybody out there to do what Will is doing, that +30 starts to reflect in other players’ numbers and that’s what we wanna see. I’m really proud of the job Will did today. It ain’t about highlights, it’s about efficiency,” Baldwin said after the game.
Ateneo’s next game will be against the National University Bulldogs on Sunday, September 22, 2:00 PM, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal.
Quarter Scores:
18-6, 23-15, 47-32, 63-46
Box Scores:
ATENEO Kouame – 14, Wong – 13, Ravena – 12, Mi. Nieto – 4, Navarro – 4, Mamuyac – 3, Ma. Nieto – 3, Tio – 3, Belangel – 2, Daves – 2, Go – 2, Maagdenberg – 1, Andrade – 0, Chiu – 0, Credo – 0, Malilin – 0
FEU: Eboña – 8, Torres – 8, Comboy – 6, Gonzales – 6, Nunag – 5, Bienes – 4, Tuffin – 3, Alforque – 2, Tempra – 2, Cani – 1, Tchuente – 1, Celzo – 0, Dulatre – 0, Mantua – 0, Stockton -0
