Ateneo de Manila University shrugged off National University’s fourth-quarter surge, taking an 89-75 win, to move three wins away from an elimination round sweep of the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament, Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Blue Eagles also extended their UAAP winning streak to 37 outings, going undefeated since 2018.
The Blue Eagles went on a 29-12 rampage to start the game before dropping 32 points in the second frame to build a 25-point advantage at the half, 61-36.
Down by 29 heading into the fourth frame, the Bulldogs dropped an 18-3 bomb to pull within 14 with 4:10 to go, 67-81, but that would be the closest they could get.
Dave Ildefonso went 5-of-11 from behind the arc to get 17 points with nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal for Ateneo.
Ange Kouame was 4-of-5 from the field and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line, while SJ Belangel delivered nine points and seven assists.
Janjan Felicilda did it all for NU with 12 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Figueroa had 12 points as well.
The Bulldogs lost for the fourth consecutive outing, falling to 4-7, good for just the sixth spot.
Ateneo will go for 12-0 on Tuesday against Adamson University at 4:30 pm. Meanwhile, NU will look to get out of its slide against University of Santo Tomas at 7 pm.
The Scores:
ATENEO 89—Ildefonso 17, Kouame 16, Belangel 9, Chiu 9, Verano 8, Mamuyac 8, Andrade 6, Tio 6, Koon 5, Lazaro 5, Padrigao 0, Gomez 0, Daves 0.
NU 75—Felicilda 12, Figueroa 12, Clemente 10, Gaye 9, Ildefonso 7, Torres 7, Minerva 5, Malonzo 4, Mahinay 4, Galinato 3, Joson 2, Enriquez 0, Manansala 0, Yu 0.