Ateneo de Manila University continued to flex its might, this time against longtime rival De La Salle University, 81-74, for its fourth straight win in the first round of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
As the dust settled, the Blue Eagles remained the only unbeaten side in the standings with a 4-0 card, while the Green Archers slid to a 2-2 slate.
Dom Escobar, Kymani Ladi, and Shawn Tuano took turns leading the way for Ateneo to finish with 15 points apiece and renew their dominance over La Salle. The Blue Eagles last won against the Green Archers in October 2023 with a 77-72 scoreline.
The Blue Eagles set the tone early with a 7-0 opening quarter which eventually ballooned to a 68-35 advantage late in the third quarter.
Despite the Taft-based squad’s fourth-quarter surge that saw them string a huge 36-13 comeback, Ateneo held on to its lead to secure the win.
“Well, obviously, full credit to La Salle and the comeback that they made in the fourth quarter. And I think we have a choice to talk about three quarters of basketball or one quarter of basketball, and we’ll do both in the confines of our dugout and in our next practice,” said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin in the post-game interview.
“But we’ll talk about the fact that the way we played for three quarters is is about as good as an Ateneo team has played, for me. That’s a big statement. And then, the fourth quarter we played as bad as an Ateneo team has played. Fortunately, it was only one quarter,” he added.
La Salle big man Mike Phillips, who led all scorers in a losing effort, dropped a 17-point, 20-rebound double-double performance that went for naught. Kean Baclaan added 13 markers.
Jacob Cortez, for his part, had 10 points in a 3-of-13 shooting clip in his first UAAP rivalry game.
On the other hand, Mason Amos finished with six points, two rebounds, and one assist in facing his former side for the first time in the UAAP since his shock move to La Salle.
Scores:
Ateneo 81 – Ladi 15, Escobar 15, Tuano 15, Lazaro 9, Espinosa 8, Espina 7, Bongo 4, Bahay 3, Adili 2, Lazo 2, Fjellvang 1.
La Salle 74 – Phillips 17, Baclaan 13, Cortez 10, Gollena 7, Amos 6, Pablo 5, Dungo 5, Daep 4, Abadam 3, Gomez 2, Marasigan 2, Quines 0.
Quarters: 14-11, 36-19, 68-38, 81-74.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
