THE ATENEO Blue Eagles advance to the Pinoyliga Cup semifinals after a dominant win against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 74-58, earlier today at the Enderun Colleges Gym in the City of Taguig.
Rookie big man Mason Amos led the Blue and White in scoring with 13 points while shooting 50% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Godslove Nwabude contributed seven markers and seven rebounds in the Blue Eagles’ decisive win.
Despite early triples from Chris Koon and Amos for a 10-4 lead, the Blue Eagles ended up making only 16% of their three-point attempts throughout the match. However, Ateneo’s lockdown defense forced FEU to only 11 points in the first quarter. To end the opening frame, Andrew Bongo chipped in four straight points to give the Blue Eagles a comfortable lead, 18-11.
Throughout the second quarter, the Katipunan-based squad maintained their momentum with the help of Amos’ seven points, closing out the first half with an eight-point advantage, 40-32.
In the second half, Ateneo’s impressive performance on both ends on the floor was disrupted by foul trouble. The notable crutch became evident in the third canto when Ateneo entered the penalty just halfway through the quarter. The Blue Eagles gave up 10 points from the charity stripe by the end of the third, but still managed to outplay the Tamaraws while maintaining their lead, 61-44.
With 56 seconds remaining in the game, a heated exchange between Amos and Alcen Macapagal resulted in a double technical foul being called on both players. This failed to deter the Blue and White, ending the quarterfinal match on a high note with a fadeaway jumper by Nwabude to seal the game, 74-58.
The Blue and White will take on the Mapúa University Cardinals in the semifinals at the Villar Coliseum in Las Piñas City.
Box Scores:
Ateneo (74): Amos – 13, Bongo – 8, Koon – 8, Ballungay – 7, Nwabude – 7, Credo – 6, Espinosa – 6, Nieto – 6, Quitevis – 5, Brown – 4, Chiu – 3, Celis – 1
FEU (58): Añonuevo – 12, Alforque – 9, Faty – 8, Bagunu – 6, Sleat – 5, Torres – 5, Guibao – 3, Montemayor – 3, Tempra – 3, Felipe – 2, Konateh – 2
Quarter Score:
Ateneo-FEU: 18-11, 40-27, 61-44, 74-58
