La Salle Interesting action between La Salle and FEU. UAAP photo

Ateneo, La Salle triumph

April 1, 2022 Theodore P. Jurado 397 views

DEFENDING champion Ateneo and La Salle turned to its prized big men to remain perfect heading into this weekend’s rivalry game in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena yesterday.

Naturalized slotman Ange Kouame produced a double-double effort of 13 points and 10 rebounds as the Blue Eagles posted their most convincing win of the season – a 78-47 rout of Adamson.

Senior center Justine Baltazar also imposed his will in the middle with 20 points and 11 rebounds to power the Green Archers to a 75-65 victory over Far Eastern University and post their best start since 2017.

Later, Ricci Rivero starred in a fourth quarter breakaway as University of the Philippines bested National University, 80-70, to raise its record to 2-1 in third place and keep within distance of the co-leaders.

Unbeaten in three matches, Ateneo and La Salle opens another chapter of its storied rivalry at 7 p.m. tomorrow night, where Kouame and Baltazar are expected to figure prominently in this match-up to be played behind closed doors.

The Eagles used another strong third quarter, and unlike in their first two games, the Katipunan-based squad sustained consistent play in the final period by outscoring the Falcons, 21-13.

All 14 players fielded by Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin scored in the balanced attack.

“We think everyone has a job to do. Today, we got everyone on the floor which we should do,” said Baldwin, as the Eagles extended their winning run to 29 games.

Adamson’s 47 points was the lowest scoring output since a 49-50 loss to University of Santo Tomas on July 26, 2014.

Enjoying its finest start since Season 80 where it finished second, La Salle pulled away in the final five minutes to prevail.

“As I told the boys, Ive been talking about that this game is for positioning for us. This will lead us to a good position,” said coach Derrick Pumaren, who remain undefeated in his second tour of duty with the Archers.

“Hopefully we can use this as a springboard when we face Ateneo. We just have to get back to the drawing board to know what to do against Ateneo,” he added.

La Salle hit 10 triples, with transferee Mark Nonoy dropping 15 of his 17 points from beyond the arc.

Baltazar’s hook shot sparked the Archers’ telling 9-0 run to build a 71-61 advantage and never looked back.

Rivero led the Fighting Maroons with 19 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals while Carl Tamayo chipped in 13 points and eight boards.

The Falcons, the Tamaraws and the Bulldogs fell in a triple tie at 1-2.

The scores:

First game

Ateneo (78) — Kouame 13, Tio 9, Koon 9, Padrigao 8, Verano 8, Gomez 8, Ildefonso 6, Chiu 3, Mendoza 3, Mamuyac 3, Belangel 2, Lazaro 2, Andrade 2, Berjay 2.
AdU (47) — Zaldivar 6, Douanga 6, Manzano 5, Yerro 5, Jaymalin 5, Hanapi 5, Lastimosa 4, Magbuhos 3, Peromingan 2, Sabandal 2, Erolon 2, Colonia 1, Calisay 1, Barasi 0, Fuentebella 0,      Maata 0.
Quarterscores: 17-8, 36-24, 54-34, 78-47

Second game

DLSU (75) — Baltazar 20, Nonoy 17, Lojera 10, Winston 9, Austria 9, M. Phillips 6, Nelle 4, Manuel 0, Nwankwo 0, B. Phillips 0.
FEU (65) — Gonzales 17, Ojuola 13, Abarrientos 9, Bienes 9, Sajonia 6, Torres 5, Sandagon 4, Li 2, Alforque 0, Sleat 0, Gravera 0, Coquia 0.
Quarterscorwles: 19-18, 32-32, 58-50, 75-65

Third game

UP (80) — Rivero 19, Tamayo 13, Cagulangan 9, Fortea 8, Cansino 8, Spencer 6, Lucero 5, Diouf 4, Alarcon 4, Catapusan 2, Abadiano 2, Ramos 0, Lina 0.
NU (70) — Malonzo 11, Torres 10, Clemente 9, Mahinay 9, Felicilda 8, Ildefonso 7, Enriquez 4, Galinato 4, Tibayan 4,
Joson 2, Manansala 2, Figueroa 0, Minerva 0, Yu 0.
Quarterscores: 20-25, 42-39, 55-53, 80-70.

Games tomorrow

(Mall of Asia Arena)
10 a.m. – FEU vs NU
1 p.m. – UE vs UP
4 p.m. – UST vs AdU
7 p.m. – DLSU vs Ateneo

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