BLUE EAGLES FLY HIGH
Games today (Mall of Asia Arena) 2 p.m. – NU vs DLSU/ 4 p.m. – UP vs FEU
Unbeaten Ateneo widened its gap from the rest of the pack, scoring a 66-52 romp over Santo Tomas for its eighth win in a row in the 82nd UAAP men’s basketball tournament last night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Thirdy Ravena pumped in a near double-double of 17 points and nine rebounds on top of two steals in just 26 minutes of play to spearhead the reigning champions, who fortified their hold of top spot with an unscathed 8-0 slate.
Guard SJ Belangel added 11 markers and four boards, Isaac Go had eight while Matt Nieto and Adrian Wong chipped in six each for a collective effort as MVP candidate Ange Kouame took a backseat with just two points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
“That was tough, really tough, physical game. At any rate, it was a very, very tough contest. All I can say is thank God for our defense,” said head coach Tab Baldwin as his wards took care of the low-scoring affair with the Tigers.
Mark Nonoy was the lone bright note for the Tigers with 18 markers as super-rookie Rhenz Abando and MVP frontrunner Soulemane Chabi Yo bled for just seven and six, respectively.
Santo Tomas tasted its second consecutive loss to slip to 4-4.
Earlier, Alex Diakhite and Rey Suerte powered UE to a huge 80-74 upset win over Adamson to open their secondround campaign with a bang.
Diakhite imposed his will on the Falcons with a career-best 29 points on top of 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks while Suerte uncorked 26 markers and seven boards as the Warriors notched their second win in a row to drag their latest victims at joint sixth place with 3-5 cards.