Ateneo showed its championship class for the second straight game in the finals, this time with a more emphatic 99-81 win over University of the Philippines to capture a second straight University Athletic Association of the Philippines basketball crown before a full-house at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
Dominant from start to finish, the Blue Eagles clinched a 10th UAAP championship overall in men’s basketball. They defeated UP, 88-79, in Game 1 on Saturday to move on the cusp of the title repeat.
READ: Ateneo eyes title, UP seeks 1-1 tie
“I want to thank the players, they’re a marvelous team, they’re a joy to work with the whole season. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work with them’’ said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin. “It is our priority to do everything with dignity and class and long we may do this.’’
Finals’ Most Valuable Player Thirdy Ravena was on fire as he finished with a career-high 38 points, 17 in the first half as the Eagles cut loose from the overmatched Maroons.
Angelo Kouame, who made life miserable for Most Valuable Player Bright Akhuetie, backed up Ravena with 22 points and 21 rebounds.
Ravena fueled a 7-3 salvo in the final minute of the half as the Blue Eagles stormed to a 48-37 advantage at the break.
The Maroons led only once on a Paul Desiderio triple to start the game.
Half of the 23,471 fans at the Big Dome waited for the Maroons to turn things around in the second half.
The tides never turned.
Instead, it was Ateneo which continued its assault in the second half as they led by as much as 21.
Ravena again led the Eagles’ attack with three triples, the last of which allowed Ateneo to enjoy 84-63 with six minutes remaining.
Adding insult to injury, he even soared for a dunk with a minute left to punctuate the Eagles’ total dominance of the Maroons, whose last UAAP title came 32 years ago with a team backstopped by Benjie Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc and coached by Joe Lipa.
An interesting sidenote to the Ateneo triumph were the Nieto brothers Matt and Mike, whose father Joseph “Jett’’ Nieto, was also part of the champion Ateneo team that won back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988.
Akhuetie, who played without a left knee brace after the Ateneo side argued he can’t play with him wearing it, had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Fighting Maroons.
Gomez de Liano, shot a game-high 24 points for UP.
The scores:
Ateneo (99)—Ravena 38, Kouame 22, Verano 11, Tio 7, Nieto Ma. 6, Asistio 6, Belangel 6, Go 3, Nieto Mi. 0, Mamuyac 0, Mendoza 0, Andrade 0, Black 0, Wong 0, Daves 0, Navarro 0.
UP (81)—Gomez de Liaño Ju. 24, Akhuetie 19, Desiderio 15, Gomez de Liaño Ja. 11, Dario 8, Lim 2, Vito 2, Manzo 0, Jaboneta 0, Murrell 0, Spencer 0, Prado 0, Española 0, Longa 0.
Quarterscores: 25-13, 48-37, 70-56, 99-81
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