The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles captured their third win in a row with a dominant 78-47 victory over the Adamson Falcons in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball on Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Ateneo is now at 3-0, thanks to a balanced scoring effort led by big man Ange Kouame who had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tyler Tio and Chris Koon tallied nine points apiece while Raffy Verano, Gab Gomez, and Forthsky Padrigao made eight each in the blowout. Moreover, Ateneo extended its UAAP winning streak to 29 games.
The Falcons gave it their best shot as they pulled to within eight, 28-36, after facing an 11-27 deficit early in the match. But the Blue Eagles answered back with 18 unanswered points, highlighted by Ange Kouame’s three-pointer, to build a 26-point lead with 1:54 left in the third, 54-28.
“We think everyone has a job to do. Today, we got everyone on the floor which we should do,” said Baldwin.
The Falcons dropped to 1-2.
Meanwhile, Ateneo’s rival—De La Salle University—also hiked its record up to 3-0 with a 75-65 win over Far Eastern University. Versatile big man Justine Baltazar was a force down low, finishing with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds.
After starting the fourth down by eight, the Tamaraws fought back and trimmed the deficit to one, 61-62, before Baltazar sparked a 13-2 run that gave the Green Archers a 75-63 lead with just 1:28 remaining.
“Today, he was the Balti we all expected,” said La Salle head coach Derick Pumaren of Baltazar.
Speedy guard Mark Nonoy also gave the Green Archers a lift with his 17 points, highlighted by five makes from beyond the arc. Michael Phillips chipped in nine points, 16 boards, and three assists to help La Salle get the win.
L-Jay Gonzales led the Tamaraws with 17 points, four rebounds, four steals, and three assists, while Emmanuel Ojuola produced a double-double of 13 points, 12 boards, three dimes, and two steals.
However, ace guard RJ Abarrientos struggled mightily, missing six of his seven attempts from the field as he finished with nine points and two rebounds. FEU fell to 2-1.
