Ateneo stays unbeaten, hands NU third straight loss
By Maxine Louise Lagman
30 September 2017
The Ateneo Blue Eagles kept their immaculate record in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament after defeating the National University Bulldogs, 96-83 on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ateneo climbed the team standings once again after winning their sixth consecutive, while NU dropped to their third straight loss and fell to a 2-4 card.
The Bulldogs trailed close behind the Blue Eagles in the first three quarters of the game, with the heroics of Jayjay Alejandro, who scored 21 points. Alejandro even knotted the game at 51-all in the third frame.
Coming into the fourth quarter, NU’s Issa Gaye was able to shot a basket that cut the deficit to seven, 85-78
But Ateneo was able to gain momentum coming into the fourth as they led by as much as 14 points, 92-78, after a booming Thirdy Ravena triple and a Chibueze Ikeh layup, with only less than a minute to play.
“NU’s a tough team, we knew that coming into this game. We played their pace, which is an up and down game. It was a good thing that we played with better defense in the fourth quarter,” said Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga.
Ikeh led Ateneo with a career-high double-double 18 points and 11 rebounds, while graduating senior Vince Tolentino had 15 points.
Meanwhile, Matt and Michael Nieto chipped in 12 points each.
Alejandro was limited to only three points in the crucial fourth period as he finished with 24 points. Enzo Joson and Gaye chipped in 14 points each in the losing effort.
The Scores:
ADMU (96) – Ikeh 18, Tolentino 15, Nieto Ma. 12, Nieto Mi. 12, Verano 9, Ravena 8, Asistio 7, Go 4, Black 4, Mendoza 3, White 2, Mamuyac 1, Mallillin 1, Andrade 0, Tio 0.
