BARELY MISSING out from an outright finals berth after a heartbreaking loss last May 1, the Ateneo Blue Eagles booked their ticket to their fifth straight finals appearance. This came after a convincing 85-72 win against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 84 Men’s Basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena earlier today.

Another breakout game from lethal shooter BJ Andrade helped propel Ateneo to the victory as he led all scorers and torched the Tamaraws with 16 points built on 7/9 shooting from the field. Gilas stalwart SJ Belangel and Team Captain Gian Mamuyac followed suit with 14 and 12 markers, respectively, for the Blue Eagles.

Domineering big Ange Kouame had another monster outing as he flirted with a triple double, racking up nine points, 18 rebounds, eight assists, and five blocks.

FEU came out the gates fast with a quick 6-0 spurt that put them ahead early in the first frame. Ateneo eventually found their footing on the offensive end, with Andrade scoring three baskets inside. The Ateneo defense, however, was slow to adjust as the Tamaraws got some shots from deep, eventually connecting just enough to end the quarter at 16-all.

The start of the second frame saw the Tamaraws keeping pace with the Blue Eagles, but a big run led by Mamuyac had Ateneo suddenly up by double-digits midway through the second canto. Dave Ildefonso hit two big threes while Andrade continued his strong play with 13 first half points keeping the Blue Eagles’ advantage still over 10 to end the half. Ateneo entered the break up 49-33.

The Blue Eagles continued to pound in the third quarter. After Andrade hit another three, Belangel carried the offensive load with seven straight points on inside baskets to give Ateneo the 65-48 lead heading into the fourth.

The Morayta-based squad cut the deficit in the fourth quarter to thirteen, 56-69, after a two-hander from Ojoula. However, back-to-back inside baskets from reliable forward Matthew Daves and two threes from Belangel stopped FEU’s momentum to give Ateneo the 85-72 win.

Ateneo’s win is their fourth straight triumph against the Tamaraws in the Final Four dating back to Season 79. With the victory, the Blue Eagles now await the winner of May 5’s do-or-die matchup between the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons and the De La Salle University Green Archers. Either way, the Blue Eagles are set to suit up for the first finals game on Sunday, 4:00 PM, at the MOA Arena.

Box Score:

Ateneo (85): Andrade -16, Belangel – 14, Mamuyac – 12, Ildefonso – 11, Kouame – 9, Daves – 9, Lazaro – 4, Verano – 3, Chiu – 2, Tio – 2

FEU (72): Abarrientos – 16, Ojuola – 13, Bienes – 13, Gonzales – 9, Sleat – 6, Alforque – 5, Tempra – 4, Torres – 3, Celzo – 2, Sajonia – 1

Quarter Scores:

Ateneo-FEU: 16-16, 49-33, 65-48, 85-72