The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles put together a strong effort on both ends of the floor in a big 78-47 victory against Adamson University, Thursday morning at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The three-time defending champions improved to 3-0 in the UAAP Season 84 men's basketball tournament, and have now won 29 consecutive games dating back to 2018.
Every player fielded by Tab Baldwin got on the score sheet for the Blue Eagles, who posted their biggest winning margin so far in the tournament after a pair of nine-point victories against University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University.
Ange Kouame had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyler Tio and Chris Koon each fired nine points. The Blue Eagles shot 47.5% from the field, and limited the Soaring Falcons to a 29.2% clip. They also had a 47-21 edge in terms of bench scoring.
"We think everybody has a job to do, and today, we were able to get everybody on the court, which we needed to do," said Baldwin after the game. "The energy was really good out there."
"We had a lapse in the second quarter, and we gotta figure out why we have lapses in games," he added. "But we recovered in the second half, and the energy was good."
Ateneo saw a 23-point lead nearly evaporate after the Falcons scored 15 unanswered points bridging the second and third frames, allowing them to get as close as 36-28.
But Tio knocked down a triple to end a long silence for the Blue Eagles, and it sparked an 18-0 run that put Ateneo in complete control. A booming three-pointer by Kouame highlighted the flurry, and gave Ateneo a 52-28 advantage.
Their lead eventually ballooned to 35 points, 78-43, with 1:35 to play after Geo Chiu completed an and-1.
No Adamson player reached double-digits, with Keith Zaldivar and Lenda Douanga both putting up six points. The Soaring Falcons failed to build on a victory against University of the East last Tuesday and fell to 1-2.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday, with the Falcons playing the University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo taking on archrival De La Salle University.
The scores:
ATENEO 78 -- Kouame 13, Tio 9, Koon 9, Padrigao 8, Verano 8, Gomez 8, Ildefonso 6, Chiu 3, Mendoza 3, Mamuyac 3, Belangel 2, Lazaro 2, Andrade 2, Berjay 2.
ADAMSON 47 -- Zaldivar 6, Douanga 6, Manzano 5, Yerro 5, Jaymalin 5, Hanapi 5, Lastimosa 4, Magbuhos 3, Peromingan 2, Sabandal 2, Erolon 2, Colonia 1, Calisay 1, Barasi 0, Fuentebella 0, Maata 0.
Quarters: 17-8, 36-24, 54-34, 78-47.
