Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 28) – Reigning league champions Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles are a win away from sweeping the UAAP Season 84 elimination round after crushing the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 70-53, on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Ateneo holds a flawless 13-0 record, also notching their 39th straight win since Season 81 in 2018.
FEU, meanwhile, is tied with National University for fourth place with a 6-7 slate. The two teams, along with sixth placer Adamson University are fighting for the pivotal fourth seed in the Final Four.
The Blue Eagles showed their well-balanced attack early in the first quarter as they flashed a 16-5 scoring bomb to tally a 17-11 advantage after the first 10 minutes of action.
Aside from attacking for baskets, Ateneo also displayed its defensive toughness in the next three quarters as it limited FEU to only 25% shooting on the field – the lowest field goal shooting percentage of a team in this season.
On the other hand, Ateneo shot 43% of its total field goals and led by as high as 20 points in its dominant second half outing.
Raffy Verano paced the Blue Eagles with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Tyler Tio added 14 markers and shot three triples in the match.
RJ Abarrientos topscored for the Tamaraws with 12 points while LJ Gonzales produced 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Ateneo will shoot for a second straight UAAP season sweep against neighbor University of the Philippines on Sunday at 7 p.m, while FEU will attempt to clinch the last semifinals berth against University of Santo Tomas at 12:30 p.m.
The Scores:
ATENEO 70 – Verano 17, Tio 14, Belangel 8, Ildefonso 8, Mamuyac 7, Kouame 4, Koon 4, Mendoza 3, Padrigao 3, Chiu 2, Lazaro 0, Daves 0, Gomez 0, Andrade 0.
FEU 53 – Abarrientos 12, Gonzales 10, Torres 8, Alforque 5, Ojuola 5, Tempra 4, Sleat 3, Sajonia 3, Celzo 2, Coquia 1, Bienes 0, Sandagon 0, Li 0.
Quarterscores: 17-11, 33-23, 51-34, 70-53.
