6 October 2018
By Maxine Louise Lagman
Manila, Philippines – The rivalry continues in the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament and former champs Ateneo De Manila University remains victorious after defeating rival De La Salle University, 71-55, on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Ateneo was down by one in the first quarter, but quickly recovered and took a 16-8 run in the second period to take on the lead, 28-21.
Angelo Kouame and Tyler Tio made their presence known in the third as they made back-to-baskets to lead by as much as 17 points, 50-33.
The Blue Eagles never looked back as their prey struggled on the court with only 18 field goals out of 62 attempts.
Kouame led Ateneo with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds on top of five blocks, while Anton Asistio chipped in 12 narkers.
Thirdy Ravena added nine points and six assists as Ateneo improved to a 5-1 win-loss record, just behind No. 1 seed Adamson University, who remains undefeated at 5-0.
On the other hand, Aljun Melecio led DLSU with 21 points and seven boards as La Salle dropped to a 3-3 slate at the fouth spot.
The Scores:
ATENEO 71 – Kouame 20, Asistio 12, Ravena 9, Verano 8, Navarro 6, Go 6, Tio 5, Nieto Mi 3, Nieto Ma 2, Wong 0, Mamuyac 0, Belangel 0, Mendoza 0
LA SALLE 55 – Melecio 21, Santillan 7, Dyke 6, Baltazar 4, Montalbo 4, Caracut 4, Bates 3, Serrano 3, Manuel 3, Go 0
QUARTERS: 12-13, 28-21, 50-33, 71-55
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