By Maxine Louise Lagman
ANTIPOLO – The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and Far Eastern University (FEU) showed impressive performance against their competitors to win their final games in the first round of the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday, October 23, at the Ynares Sports Center.
The Blue Eagles took a 91-76 win against University of the East (UE) to end the first round in third place with a 5-2 win-loss record.
Up by two in halftime, 46-44, Ateneo went for a 17-0 run to stretch their lead to 19 points, 63-44. The Blue Eagles proved too much for the Red Warriors as they led by as much as 22 points, 83-61, 3:27 left in the game.
Dave Ildefonso led Ateneo with 20 points, while Kai Ballungay had 14 markers. Forthsky Padrigao and BJ Andrade chipped in 11 points each, while Ange Kouame had 20 rebounds.
Kyle Paranada and Harvey Pagsanjan had 17 points each, while Luis Villegas had a double-double record of 10 markers and 13 rebounds as UE ends the first round with a 3-4 record in fifth place.
FEU then upset National University (NU), 47-44, to improve to a 2-5 win-loss record for seventh place.
The Tamaraws took a 45-40 lead courtesy of a Bryan Sajonia basket, 2:31 left in the game.
NU’s Omar John answered with back-to-back buckets for a 44-45 score, but LJ Gonzalez shot another basket for FEU to give them a three-point advantage.
Rookie Kean Baclaan attempted to tie the game with four seconds left, but missed, giving FEU its second win in the season.
Sajonia led FEU with 12 points, while Gonzales chipped in nine markers, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Jorick Bautista added another nine points in the win, while Patrick Tchuente had 18 rebounds and six markers.
On the other hand, John paced NU with nine points, while John Lloyd Clemente had eight markers and 12 rebounds as NU dropped to third place with a 5-2 slate.
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