Eagles bludgeon Tams, near another outright UAAP finals entry

Games on Sunday 

(Mall of Asia Arena) 

10 a.m. - AdU vs UE 

12:30 p.m. – UST vs FEU 

4:30 p.m. – DLSU VS NU 

7 p.m. – UP VS ADMU

MANILA, Philippines – Immaculate Ateneo tamed Far Eastern University, 70-53, and moved on the verge of clinching an automatic finals berth while La Salle thwarted Adamson, 64-51, to secure the third seed in the UAAP Season 84 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City yesterday.

The Blue Eagles snapped the Tamaraws’ three-game winning streak while extending their own tear to 39 straight triumphs including a 13-0 slate this season, one win away from gaining an outright finals ticket.

Raffy Verano uncorked 17 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two steals for the three-time reigning champion Ateneo, which has rival University of the Philippines as its last hurdle for a chance to replicate its perfect feat in 2019 and boost its four-peat bid.

“I don’t think we played well all throughout as FEU defended us tough. But we battled better in the second half. Whether we win, lose or play well, I’m happy to put this game behind and prepare for UP,” said coach Tab Baldwin, whose wards only pulled away starting in the third period.

Schonny Winston and Evan Nelle, for their parts, joined forces with 11 markers each as La Salle ended its two-game skid to clinch the No. 3 seed at 8-5 and left only one playoff seat up for grabs among FEU, Adamson and National U.

The Tamaraws, despite the 12 markers of RJ Abarrientos, absorbed a costly loss and failed to bolster their bid for that lone ticket as they slid to 6-7 for a share of fourth spot with National U (6-7) entering the last match.

Enzo Joson (15) paced the Bulldogs in their big 100-81 win over University of the East (0-13) earlier with still a game to go against La Salle. FEU has Santo Tomas (3-9) as its last assignment.

Adamson fell behind in the race at sixth place with a 5-8 card but still holds a slim chance to forge a three-way tie pending its last game against winless UE.

In case of a three-team tie, the squad with the highest quotient gets a bye to await the winner between the bottom two squads for a knockout game with the gritty survivor clinching the No. 4 seed.

Meanwhile, the UAAP released the first-round schedule of the highly-anticipated women’s volleyball action starting on May 5 bannered by an early collision between fierce rivals Ateneo and La Salle.

Like the ongoing men’s basketball, the women’s volleyball will be played on a four-game bill with the clashes of UST-FEU, NU-Adamson and UP-UE also slated in the opener next Tuesday.

The scores:

First Game

NU 100 – Joson 15, Ildefonso 12, Mahinay 11, Manansala 9, Figueroa 9, Enriquez 8, Malonzo 6, Clemente 6, Flores 5, Torres 5, Galinato 4, Felicilda 4, Yu 4, Tibayan 2, Gaye 0.

UE 81 – Pagsanjan 16, Escamis 15, Lorenzana 14, Cruz 11, N. Paranada 10, K. Paranada 7, Guevarra 3, Sawat 2, Pascual 2, Beltran 1, Antiporda 0, Villanueva 0, Tulabut 0, Abatayo 0.

Quarterscores: 21-20, 52-36, 77-58, 100-81.

Second Game

DLSU 64 – Winston 19, Nelle 11, Lojera 10, Austria 6, Baltazar 6, M. Phillips 4, Nwankwo 4, Manuel 2, B. Phillips 2, Nonoy 0.

Adamson 51 – Lastimosa 11, Peromingan 11, Sabandal 8, Zaldivar 7, Douanga 6, Manzano 4, Hanapi 4, Magbuhos 0, Colonia 0, Yerro 0, Barasi 0, Fuentebella 0, Maata 0, Jaymalin 0.

Quarterscores: 12-13, 27-26, 43-43, 64-51.

Third Game

ATENEO 70 – Verano 17, Tio 14, Belangel 8, Ildefonso 8, Mamuyac 7, Kouame 4, Koon 4, Mendoza 3, Padrigao 3, Chiu 2, Lazaro 0, Daves 0, Gomez 0, Andrade 0.

FEU 53 – Abarrientos 12, Gonzales 10, Torres 8, Alforque 5, Ojuola 5, Tempra 4, Sleat 3, Sajonia 3, Celzo 2, Coquia 1, Bienes 0, Sandagon 0, Li 0.

Quarterscores: 17-11, 33-23, 51-34, 70-53.