Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 12) – The Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles unleashed a third quarter scoring storm to stretch their unbeaten run to eight games at the expense of rival De La Salle University Green Archers, 75-68, in UAAP Season 84 at the Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday.
Sharpshooting guards SJ Belangel and Gian Mamuyac both scored 15 points to lead the Blue Eagles not only in preserving their flawless record in the ongoing season but in notching their 34th straight win since Season 81 in 2018.
The two celebrated schools lived up to their decades-long rivalry in the first half as they were exchanging leads with back-and-forth baskets and fierce defensive pressure to settle for a 35-32 halftime score in favor of Ateneo.
The third period proved to be the biggest turnaround of the match as the Blue Eagles fired a 14-0 scoring bomb midway in the quarter, highlighted by the two consecutive treys drained by Belangel.
With the huge offensive rally, Ateneo successfully established an enormous 17-point lead after trailing by three.
La Salle – who sits at third place with a 5-3 record – failed to answer back in the fourth canto as their consecutive baskets in the final minutes of the game were too late to reverse the outcome.
The efforts of Kurt Lojera and Evan Nelle went for naught as the former finished with 21 points and six rebounds while the latter produced 20 markers and four steals for the Green Archers.
Ateneo will go for a 9-0 slate against the winless University of the East in their next game on April 19 at 4:30 p.m. while La Salle seeks to bounce back against the University of Santo Tomas at 12:30 p.m.
The Scores:
ATENEO 75 – Belangel 15, Mamuyac 15, Ildefonso 9, Andrade 9, Kouame 7, Tio 6, Verano 4, Koon 4, Daves 4, Chiu 2, Lazaro 0, Mendoza 0.
LA SALLE 68 – Lojera 21, Nelle 20, Winston 10, Baltazar 10, M. Phillips 3, Nonoy 3, Manuel 1, B. Phillips 0, Cuajao 0, Nwankwo 0.
Quarterscores: 21-18, 35-32, 60-47, 75-68.
