By Maxine Louise Lagman
MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) recovered from its tough loss last week, while the Far Eastern University (FEU) failed to secure its first win in the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, October 12, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Ateneo bounced back from its game against De La Salle University over the weekend, and outlasted University of Santo Tomas, 79-52.
Coming from a slim one-point lead in the first half, the Blue Eagles went for a strong 24-11 run in the third quarter for a 57-43 lead heading into the final frame. Ateneo pounced on the already bleeding Growling Tigers, and kept as much as a 29-point distance to secure the win.
“The players felt not great at halftime but the coaching staff felt that it wasn’t really that bad and if we stuck to the job, we have good players they’re gonna hit good shots and in the second half, we finally started to hit shots,” said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.
Forthsky Padrigao led the Blue Eagles with 20 points, eight assists, and five steals. Dave Ildefonso and Kai Ballungay chipped in 10 points apiece, with the latter adding nine rebounds and six assists as they rose to a 3-1 win-loss slate.
Nic Cabanero finished with 12 points for UST as they fall to 1-3.
On the other hand, FEU remained winless in the tournament after succumbing to Adamson University (AdU), 76-65.
Just like Ateneo, the Soaring Falcons outscored FEU in the third frame and established a 14-point lead, 55-41.
Patrick Sleat led FEU with 18 points, but this proved inadequate as FEU slid to a 0-4, their worst start since 2006.
Vince Magbuhos had 23 points, five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, while Jerom Lastimosa chipped in 13 markers and nine boards as Adamson is now at 2-2.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @meanxi
