A CHAMPIONSHIP showdown awaits the Ateneo Blue Eagles after taking down the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals, 97-60. The Final Four bout was held earlier today at the Villar Coliseum in the City of Las Piñas.
The dynamic Blue Eagles duo of Kai Ballungay and Mason Amos led the way for Ateneo, contributing 20 points apiece in the 37-point victory. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Cosejo contributed 20 points on a whopping 10/11 shooting from the field for the Generals.
Ateneo’s stringent defensive identity presented itself early on in the contest, allowing only three EAC points midway through the first frame. The other end of the floor was no different for the Blue Eagles, as hot shooting from deep as well as generating clean looks inside gave the Katipunan-based squad an early 20-point lead. The quarter concluded with Ateneo up, 33-13, after fouls started to pile up for both sides.
A turnover-ridden start to the second quarter by the Blue Eagles allowed the Generals to make a run, cutting the lead to 16 before a good seal move by Geo Chiu stopped the bleeding, 35-17. Meanwhile, Amos and Ballungay’s stellar offensive start translated into the second canto, going on a mini 7-2 burst to bring the lead back to 20 after EAC had cut it to 15. Ateneo entered the halftime break ahead, 53-35, after a buzzer-beating triple from Ballungay ended the cold stretch from deep by the Blue and White.
At the onset of the second half, two threes courtesy of Chris Koon and Ian Espinosa gave Ateneo its biggest lead of the game, 59-36. The Generals were not able to gain any kind of momentum throughout the quarter afterwards, given that the Blue Eagles’ lockdown defense combined with Lebron Nieto’s back-to-back triples made it a 73-48 Ateneo lead through three.
A barrage of three-pointers from the new recruits Jared Brown, Andrew Bongo, and Amos gave their opponents no shot at a comeback—ballooning their lead to 36 at the tailend of the game. Head Coach Tab Baldwin’s team find themselves on the precipice of a preseason title as they seal the Final Four victory with an Amos triple, 97-60.
Despite the win, Baldwin pointed out glaring holes in Ateneo’s performance today, “There’s still a lot we’re not doing well. We’re not executing on our defensive principles in large numbers, we didn’t rebound the ball well today. Offensively, our execution was still patchy, and it’s not where we want it.”
“We got to play better basketball. This is all about preparation for the UAAP, and until we play better we can’t rate ourselves as serious contenders,” he added.
Contenders from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines will battle in the PinoyLiga Finals, as the Ateneo Blue Eagles will take on the National University Bulldogs. The championship match will be held on Thursday, June 29, at the Villar Coliseum in the City of Las Piñas.
Box Scores:
Ateneo (97): Amos – 20, Ballungay – 20, Nieto – 9, Obasa – 9, Gomez – 8, Quitevis – 6, Brown – 5, Chiu – 5, Espinosa – 5, Bongo – 3, Koon – 3, Celis – 2, Lazaro – 2, Credo – 0, Ong – 0
EAC (60): Cosejo – 20, Ednilag – 6, R. Robin – 5, Maguliano – 5, Luciano – 4, Cosa – 4, Quinal – 4, Gurtiza – 3, Tolentino – 2, Balowa – 2, Bacud – 2, M. Robin – 2, Umpad – 1, Doria – 0
Quarter Score:Ateneo-EAC: 33-13, 53-35, 73-48, 97-60
