THE ATENEO Blue Eagles took down archrivals De La Salle University, 77-69, in their University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 showdown on Sunday, October 13, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
This hard-fought victory firmly cements the Blue Eagles atop the standings with a 10-0 win-loss card in the elimination round standings.
Adrian Wong had his first breakout game of the season as he stepped up for the Blue and White with 18 points, splashing four of his seven three-point attempts. Thirdy Ravena followed Wong’s numbers with a familiar statline of 13 points, seven boards, and one steal.
Encho Serrano paced the Green Archers with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Big man Justine Baltazar also notched a near double-double as he put up 12 markers and nine boards.
Both teams kept the match close by trading scoring runs in the opening salvo. Wong stormed out of the gates with eight straight points in the first quarter. As both teams settled into the atmosphere of the game in the second quarter, Ateneo rode their efficient long-range shooting and stifled La Salle into 13 turnovers to carve a six-point advantage at the half.
La Salle pushed the tempo after the break and retaliated with a 20-point third quarter. With the game being only divided by a few possessions down the stretch in the fourth, a long bomb by Wong and a putback slam by Angelo Kouame punctuated a game-sealing run in Ateneo’s favor.
During the post-game press conference, Coach Tab Baldwin credited his team’s “Next man up” mentality headlined by Wong’s performance. “It was a good game of basketball. I thought in the first half, we looked more nervous than La Salle. I thought they looked very composed, sure of themselves, and understanding what they wanted to do. I think if Adrian [Wong] doesn’t come out hot, we’re in trouble in the first half. Fortunately he did, and it’s another example of somebody else on our roster stepping up and having a good game when it was needed,” said Baldwin.
Next, the Blue Eagles will face Far Eastern University at 12:30 PM on Wednesday, October 16, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 19-15, 36-30, 55-50, 77-69
Box Score:
Ateneo: Wong – 18, Ravena – 13, Kouame – 10, Navarro – 9, Mamuyac – 6, Belangel – 5, Nieto M. – 5, Daves – 3, Nieto J. – 3, Tio – 3, Go -2
DLSU: Serrano – 15, Baltazar – 12, Caracut – 11, Malonzo – 10, Melecio – 10, Manuel – 7, Bartlett – 2, Bates – 2, Lojera – 0
