ATENEO de Manila repelled De La Salle, 71-62, on Sunday to secure the top seed in the Final Four in Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Thirdy Ravena finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds and so did Angelo Kouame with 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Blue Eagles hiked their record to 11 wins in 13 games to seal the No.1 seed in the semifinals.
“Coming into the game, we’re not thinking about getting the top seed or twice-to-beat [semifinals advantage]. We had our focus on De La Salle,” Ateneo Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga said.
“We knew that this was going to be a tough game. They’ve been performing very well in the second round so we expected them to come and play well. We’re happy we came up with the win,” he added.
Far Eastern University (FEU), meanwhile, spoiled John Lloyd Clemente’s 38-points explosion for National University (NU) and walked away with a 79-74 win the other game.
Thanks to a major second-quarter outburst, the Tamaraws evaded the upset ax as Arvin Tolentino and Kenneth Tuffin clicked from the three-point line to help the team improve to a 7-7 won-lost record to tie the University of the Philippine Fighting Maroons at fourth place.
“We’re still in the hunt. We’re not yet in the Final Four and we need one more win,” FEU Head Coach Olsen Racela said.
Tolentino scored 16 points, all in the first half, and added six rebounds, while Tuffin added 15 points and five boards as they combined for seven of the team’s 12 triples.
De La Salle came out firing from the opening tip behind Aljun Melecio and Santi Santillan for a 22-18 lead in the first quarter.
But the Blue Eagles mounted a fiery run with Ravena and Kouame scoring eight straight points to complete their mastery of the Green Archers this season.
The pint-sized Melecio had 13 points and seven rebounds, while forward Justine Baltazar tallied 12 points and eight boards for De La Salle. They dropped to their fifth setback in 13 games.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza