Metro Manila, Philippines — The De La Salle University Green Archers showed their mettle and ended the two-game winning streak of archrival Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, 83-76, in Round 1 of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The defending champions secured the win in the 100th matchup between the two teams in the UAAP, a rivalry that has spanned four decades.
Both squads now have identical 3-2 win-loss records, tied with the National University Bulldogs for second place.
Joaquin Tovera shook off rookie jitters in his first rivalry game and produced 15 big points off the bench. Seniors Jcee Macalalag, Jacob Cortez, and Doy Dungo combined for 37 points in the win.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first half until Seven Gagate came off the bench and fueled a personal 6-0 run to give the Green Archers a five-point advantage. Jared Bahay cut it short with a triple to end the first half at 45-43.
La Salle was quick to recover from a 15-3 blitz by the Blue Eagles in the third frame, as Tovera and Dungo took over for a massive 16-7 counter that gave them a slim lead, 63-62.
Cortez came alive in the fourth quarter and sank crucial baskets that shifted the momentum to La Salle after a 9-2 blitz widened its lead to eight, 72-64.
Shawn Tuano tried to breathe life into Ateneo with three straight baskets but ultimately fell short of completing the comeback.
Tuano and Bahay led the Blue Eagles, with 17 and 14 points, respectively.
Another marquee matchup awaits the Taft-based squad as it faces last season’s finalists, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, on Sunday, Oct. 11, at the same venue.
The top-seeded Far Eastern University Tamaraws await the Blue Eagles in their first-round meeting on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The scores:
La Salle (83) — Macalalag 15, Tovera 15, Cortez, J. 12, Dungo 10, Amos 6, Gagate 6, Marasigan 6, Pablo 6, Agunanne 4, Abadam 3
Ateneo (76) — Tuano 17, Bahay 14, Roberts 9, Rogers 9, Espinosa 8, Kapihe 6, Cainglet 6, Baruwa 2
Quarter scores: 21-24, 24-19, 18-19, 20-14
NewsWatch Plus intern Jade Bagas contributed to this report.
