A STRONG fourth quarter lifted the Ateneo Blue Eagles to victory over the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 96-83, in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball tournament.
With the win, Ateneo extends their undefeated run to six games and sits atop the standing with a spotless 6-0 record, handing the NU Bulldogs their third loss in a row in a 2-4.
Chibueze Ikeh topped Ateneo with an 18-point and 11-rebound double-double, including his first two career three-pointers.
Blue Eagles Team Captain Vince Tolentino dropped a career-best 15 points to chip in, while the Nieto brothers knocked in a dozen markers each.
Thirdy Ravena, after hitting an average 15.8 points per game, was limited to just eight points, but collected nine rebounds and four assists in an emotional performance dedicated to one of his best friends who passed away just a day prior.
Jjay Alejandro led all scorers with 24 points, while former Ateneo Blue Eaglet Enzo Joson dropped a few season highs with 14 markers and seven assists. Issa Gaye also chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds for NU.
The Bulldogs began the match strong, hitting a pair of buckets from beyond the arc courtesy of Joson and Alejandro. A layup by Chino Mosqueda blessed NU with a six-point lead, 8-2, in the opening minutes, and the back-and-forth pace of the game persisted as the first quarter progressed.
Joson, a former player for Ateneo in the Juniors Division, stood out during the period. The NU off-guard scored nine points in the quarter—a career-high already—that helped give NU a four-point cushion, 25-21, heading into the second.
Midway through the second period, the Blue Eagles exploded for an 11-2 run, in large part due to efforts from Ikeh. The center scored the first five points of the run, which included the first three-point make of his UAAP career, to put the Blue Eagles up by nine, 44-35. The Bulldogs were not completely out of the game, however, due to Alejandro’s hot shooting. The forward scored eight points in the last two minutes of the half to cut NU’s deficit to four points, 43-47.
Free throws and an Alejandro three-pointer would deadlock the game at 51-all, but this would be the last time the Bulldogs would threaten to take the lead.
Ateneo managed to outscore NU, 15-6, in the middle of the third, highlighted by a second triple from Ikeh, to take a 9-point advantage. The lead would eventually settle at six, 71-65, entering the fourth.
Ateneo’s bench, which totaled for 36 points, pushed the Blue Eagles to a comfortable lead early in the fourth. Mike Nieto, Raffy Verano and Isaac Go would all chip in a few baskets as they widened the gap to as much as 13 points.
A Gaye dunk capped a 5-0 NU run, which cut the lead to 7, but Thirdy Ravena then drilled a long three—his only field goal—with just over two minutes remaining to push the lead back to double digits. Matt Nieto took matters into his own hands to ice the game with a few more buckets as the score settled at 96-83.
Next on the schedule for the Ateneo Blue Eagles is a date with defending champions and archrivals De La Salle University Green Archers (4-1) in a finals rematch from last season.
“They’re the heavy favorites this UAAP. They’re going to press full court and come up with all sorts of traps. This is a good take off point because NU also tried to trap us a lot of times,” Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga said regarding their upcoming match with the Green Archers.
The face-off between the top two seeded teams will serve as Ateneo’s final game of the first round. It will be held on Sunday, October 8 at 4PM at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Quarter Scores (Ateneo-NU):
21-25, 47-43, 71-65, 96-83
Box Score:
Ateneo (96): Ikeh – 18, Tolentino – 15, Ma. Nieto – 12, Mi. Nieto – 12, Verano – 9, Ravena – 8, Asistio – 7, Go – 4, Black – 4, Mendoza – 3, White – 2, Mamuyac – 1, Mallillin – 1
NU (83): Alejandro – 24, Joson – 14, Gaye – 14, Rangel – 7, Mosqueda – 6, Yu – 4, Bartlett – 4, Morido – 4, Salem – 3, Tibayan – 3
