By Maxine Louise Lagman
The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) is three wins away from an elimination round sweep of the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament after defeating National University, 89-75, on Saturday, April 23, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
AdU vs UST
The Adamson University whipped University of Santo Tomas (UST), 80-69, to cruise on their fourth straight win in the tournament.
Banking on a one-point lead at the half, 41-40, the Soaring Falcons went on a 25-12 run for a 14-point cushion, 66-52 heading into the final frame. They did not stop there and blazed on an 11-2 run to extend their lead by 23, 77-54.
“I had to talk to the team first (after the game), kailangan silang sermonan. I don’t think they respected the opponent. I thought that in their minds we can win by just stepping on that court. If we don’t play them with respect, tatalunin kami,” said Adamson head coach Nash Racela despite the victory.
Jerom Lastimosa had 24 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while Vince Magbuhos added 11 markers, eight boards, and three steals as the Soaring Falcons improved to 5-6 for fourth seed.
Joshua Fontanilla had 23 points, as the Growling Tigers slipped to 3-8 win-loss record at seventh.
NU vs ADMU
The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) defeated National University (NU), 89-75, to move three wins away from an elimination round sweep of the tournament.
The defending champions showed force from the get-go as they went on a 29-12 run, and kept a 25-point lead at the half, 61-36. The Bulldogs did not back down easily and dropped an 18-3 bomb to cut the deficit by 14, 67-81, 4:10 minutes left in the game.
But that proved to be the closest NU could get as Ateneo cruised to their 11th straight win, and extend their UAAP winning streak to 37, making them undefeated since 2018.
Dave Ildefonso led Ateneo with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
On the other hand, Janjan Felicilda finished 12 markers, eight boards, and five assists as the Bulldogs dropped to 4-7 for the sixth spot.
DLSU vs UP
The University of the Philippines (UP) survived the De La Salle University (DLSU), 72-69, to improve to 9-2 at second, and clinched a spot in the Final Four.
“This game namin compared sa last, very different. ‘Yung ball movement from the start we were sharing the ball, hitting the open man. Yung mga things na we’re really working on, nakita namin kanina,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Ricci Rivero, Carl Tamayo, and Malick Diouf connived for a 7-0 run that gave UP a 12-point lead, 71-59, with 1:52 minutes left.
DLSU answered back with 10 consecutive points thanks to Schonny Winston and Michael Phillips to pull within just two, 69-71, 10.5 ticks remaining in the game.
Rivero split his charities, 8.6 seconds left. Mark Nonoy aimed for a three-point shot from the left corner, but missed until time expired
Tamayo led UP with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Malick Diouf chipped in another double-double record of 15 markers and 18 boards.
Justine Baltazar had 16 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals as the Green Archers dropped to 7-4, which is good for third place. They still have a chance for a twice-to-beat advantage come Final Four.
FEU vs UE
The Far Eastern University (FEU) joined Adamson at the fourth after defeating University of the East (UE), 91-61.
“One game at a time pa rin kami, I’m sure ‘yun din ang focus ng Adamson at NU. Ang focus namin ngayon ay La Salle,” said FEU head coach Olsen Racela.
FEU limited the Red Warriors to just seven points on the first quarter, and extended that lead to 27 in the second frame, 53-26. The Tamaraws never looked back as their lead ballooned up to 39 points, 91-52.
Bryan Sajonia had 17 points, while Xyrus Torres chipped in 15 markers as FEU improved to a 5-6 slate.
On the other hand, Nico Paranada had 15 points, four steals, three rebounds, and a block as UE stayed winless in 11 games.
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