On a good shooting day, the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles came up with 50 percent fshooting clip from the field and put away the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 94-82, on Sunday evening at the Araneta Coliseum.
One of their key shooters, Anton Asistio shot a three-game-high 16 points, and made 10 of them in the first period as the Blue Eagles went on to claim their third straight victory.
So far, their 50 percent field goal percentage is the best output that the Blue Eagles has had in all of the three games so far in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.
Asistio’s best game came as Thirdy Ravena topscored for 18 points and hauled down 11 rebounds for the Blue Eagles.
When the Blue Eagles won over Adamson, 85-65, in the opening game, they were hitting 34 percent from the field.
They had a higher percentage at 44.29 percent in their 92-71 stopping of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.
On the other hand, the Tams finished 40.91 shooting clip.
“It was a high-scoring game. We shot well from the field, even from the three-point line,” said Blue Eagles coach Sandy Arespacochaga.
The Loyola dribblers unloaded six treys in the first period, with Asistio stringing up three of them in the last 3:06 to help break a 13-all deadlock.
Asistio’s, who connected a total of 6 triples, banged in a pair in the last four minutes, plus a charity off Allen Trinidad’s foul.
When Ateneo’s three-point shooting binge was over, they were ahead, 31-21, with 1:22 left.
They went on to take an 18-point spread, 76-58, in the last 8:44 of the fourth off Isaac Go’s inside play.
Wendell Comboy tallied 12 points for the Tams, who fell behind at 1-2.
Matt Nieto contributed 11 points for the Blue Eagles while Vince Tolentino scored 10.