THE ATENEO Blue Eagles enshrined themselves in collegiate basketball history by completing a rare 14-0 elimination round sweep. They routed the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 86-64, on Wednesday, October 30, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Angelo Kouame’s scoring output was only the second instance this season that a Blue Eagle broke the 20-point barrier. He finished with 20 points on 10/16 shooting from the field, along with 12 boards and five blocks in less than 25 minutes of play. SJ Belangel was the second leading scorer, registering a career-high 14 points on a 5/9 shooting clip, three rebounds, and two dimes. In his return from a concussion injury, Will Navarro made his presence known with 13 markers on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting clip.
As for the Fighting Maroons, Kobe Paras led the way with 13 points on a dismal 33% shooting from the field. Bright Akhuetie followed closely with 11 points while shooting at an even poorer 28.57%.
The highly anticipated matchup between the two Katipunan-based squads was nothing short of a slugfest in the first quarter as both teams came out of the game firing on all cylinders. After a high-octane first nine minutes in the game, UP snatched the lead back, 20-21, in the dying seconds of the opening canto via a dagger trey from a wide open Jaydee Tungcab.
However, the second quarter proved to be the premature tipping point which dictated the eventual outcome of the titanic matchup. Following an unsportsmanlike foul on Isaac Go which saw Janjan Jaboneta sink a pair of free throws, Ateneo unleashed a characteristic 21-5 run to punctuate the first half. Ateneo led by 13 points, while shooting at an other-worldly 61% on the floor as they concluded the half. Despite valiant efforts from the Fighting Maroons, the Blue Eagles’ unrelenting nature saw them battle tooth-and-nail to maintain a stronghold on the lead until the final buzzer sounded.
This important victory sends the Blue Eagles to the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Men’s Basketball Finals as they conclude the elimination round with an immaculate 14-0 record.
When asked on the implications of securing a finals berth, Coach Tab Baldwin said that Ateneo still has a long way to go. “Our job is far from done, and in fact it’s going to get harder. But at this point, I can say that I’m very proud of these men, and I know that they will not take that as any sort of sign to relax.”
The Blue Eagles will return to action on Sunday, November 16, 4:00 PM, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, for Game 1 of the UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals. They will go up against the victors of the three teams below Ateneo in the standings: UP, the University of Santo Tomas, or the Far Eastern University, following the stepladder format.
Quarter scores: 20-21, 45-32, 65-44, 86-64
Box scores:
ATENEO: Kouame – 20, Belangel – 14, Navarro – 13, Ravena – 11, Go – 7, Nieto, J. – 7, Mamuyac – 5, Tio – 4, Maagdenberg – 3, Nieto, M. – 2, Andrade – 0, Chiu – 0, Daves – 0, Malilin – 0, Wong – 0UP: Paras – 13, Akhuetie – 11, Gomez De Liaño, Ja. – 11, Gomez De Liaño, Ju – 9, Tungcab – 5, Jaboneta – 4, Rivero – 4, Manzo – 2, Murrel – 2, Webb – 2, Mantilla – 1, Prado – 0, Spencer – 0
