THE STILL-UNDEFEATED Ateneo Blue Eagles clobbered the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, 91-77, in Game 1 of the Finals of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday, November 16, at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The Blue Eagles’ win grants them a 1-0 edge in the best-of-three series and places them one step closer to their third straight crown.
Thirdy Ravena’s herculean 32 points, five rebounds, and three assists bannered the Blue and White. Angelo Kouame added 18 points and 12 rebounds to the cause, while SJ Belangel dropped 12 points on four triples.
Rookie of the Year Mark Nonoy’s 26 points on seven three-pointers paced the Growling Tigers. Most Valuable Player Soulemane Chabi Yo boosted UST with a 12-point ten-rebound double-double, while Brent Paraiso put up 14 markers on four treys. Sophomore CJ Cansino also had an impressive outing with 13 rebounds and six assists.
Coming off a two-week hiatus, Ateneo showed no signs of rust early on, as a dominant first quarter put them ahead 32-17. A ruthless 22-5 UST run led by super-rookie Nonoy cut the Ateneo lead down to three at 41-38 with two minutes left in the half. However, a series of quick buckets by Ravena and Belangel shattered UST’s momentum and stretched the score back to 54-39 at the half.
Ravena scored 14 of his 32 points in the third quarter to lead Ateneo into the final period with a 76-58 advantage. The Blue Eagles stayed in cruise control for the rest of the contest and kept the Growling Tigers no closer than 14 points.
After the game, Ateneo Head Coach Tab Baldwin remained guarded amidst the excitement around Ateneo’s possible season sweep. “We just want to be 1-0 from here. We don’t really care about what’s gone on in the past. Each [game] was won because we took that game seriously and we tried to play our best game in that game,” said Baldwin.
The Blue Eagles have a chance to complete the three-peat and season sweep in Game 2 against UST at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, November 20, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-UST: 32-17, 54-39, 76-58, 91-77
Box Scores:
Ateneo (91): Ravena – 32, Kouame – 18, Belangel – 12, Mamuyac – 9, Navarro – 6, M. Nieto – 5, J. Nieto – 4, Wong – 3, Daves – 2, Andrade – 0, Go – 0, Maagdenberg – 0, Mallillin – 0
UST (77): Nonoy – 26, Paraiso – 14, Chabiyo – 13, Subido – 8, Cansino – 4, Abando – 3, Concepcion – 3, Ando – 2, Bataller – 2, Huang – 2
