Angelo Kouame banged in a game-high 13 points as the Ateneo Blue Eagles went all out in smothering the Adamson Falcons, 78-47, while Justine Baltazar and Mark Nonoy shone bright as the La Salle Green Archers got past the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 75-65, Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The results sent the Blue Eagles and the Green Archers to their third straight victories in the 84th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.
With the Eagles and Archers gaining lots of confidence and momentum, the arch-rivals clash for the solo lead on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Blue Eagles’ coach Tab Baldwin said the team is now putting behind what they went through in their last three encounters as they will now focus on what’s ahead of them, which is their showdown with the Archers.
“Those games are behind us. We now want to approach our game with La Salle as 0-0. It’s the only game that matters now,” said Baldwin after the Blue Eagles earlier hurdled University of the Philippines, 90-81, and the Tams, 79-70.
The 6’8” Kouame, who also had 10 rebounds, left the court for good in the last 1:54 of the third period after Ateneo established a 26-point, 54-28 spread.
The 6’8” Baltazar tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Nonoy contributed 17 for Green Archers, who unleashed a decisive 9-0 run in the remaining 3:08 of the last canto.
The Blue Eagles, with Tyler Tio and Christopher Koon, shooting nine points apiece, extended their winning streak to 29. They have been unbeaten since the first round of Season 81.
Baltazar made up for his lackluster showing in La Salle’s last two games as he powered the Green Archers’ final scoring burst with a floater, a steal and a layup.
Baltazar’s baskets came during a 9-0 spurt that allowed La Salle to stop Adamson after they threatened, 61-62, in the final 5:58.