ANTIPOLO (Updated 3:41 p.m.) — The Ateneo Blue Eagles used another one of their signature third quarter runs to blast the upset-seeking UE Red Warriors, 91-76, to end their first round campaign in the UAAP Season 85 men's basketball tournament at the Ynares Center here on Sunday.
After only leading by two, 46-44, at the halftime break, Ateneo uncorked a 17-0 run to begin the third quarter to blow the game wide open.
BJ Andrade found Ange Kouame for an easy layup to punctuate the scoring run, 63-44, with 4:58 left in the third salvo.
For the period, Ateneo outscored UE, 19-6.
There was also no let up for the Blue Eagles in the fourth salvo as they ballooned their lead to as big as 22 points, 83-61, off of a Kai Ballungay dunk with 3:27 ticks remaining in the game.
In the first half, though, UE were pesky all throughout as they exchanged runs with Ateneo back-and-forth.
During the first salvo, UE staged a 9-0 run after going down 10-16, to take a three-point cushion — their biggest of the game.
Then in the second stanza, Ateneo looked to run away anew when they pushed their lead to nine. But they ended the first half with a 7-0 scoring burst to slash the lead to just a bucket after two quarters of play.
Unfortunately for the Red Warriors, shooting went cold for them in the third salvo as they were held scoreless for the first six minutes of the quarter before Isagani Stevens finally stopped the bleeding.
But by then, Ateneo were already up by 19 big points — a lead that proved insurmountable for the Red Warriors.
Player of the Game Dave Ildefonso finished with 20 points and four boards to pace the Blue Eagles. He also keyed the pivotal run in the third.
Kai Ballungay continues to sustain his fine play for Ateneo with 14 points, five rebounds, and zero turnovers. He was a +33 in the +/- column.
Forthsky Padrigao, for his part, had 11 points, nine assists, and three steals. Like Ballungay, Padrigao also took care of the rock as he had zero turnovers as well.
Ateneo improved to 5-2 to end the first round with the victory.
"I think, we played pretty good basketball today, especially in the second half. I'm pretty comfortable with where we're at." said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.
"We're getting better, we're growing, we're learning. That's what you're supposed to do over the course of a season, and the second round is gonna be competitive and challenging, but we feel good."
Kyle Paranada and Luis Villegas paced the Red Warriors in the losing effort with 17 markers each.
UE, who have had a resurgent run this year, falls to 3-4 after back-to-back losses at the midway point of the season.
The Scores:
ATENEO 91 -- Ildefonso 20, Ballungay 14, Padrigao 11, Andrade 11, Kouame 8, Lazaro 6, Garcia 6, Fornilos 4, Gomez 3, Koon 2, Chiu 2, Quitevis 2, Daves 2, Fetalvero 0, Lao 0, Ong 0.
UE 76 -- Pagsanjan 17, K. Paranada 17, Villegas 10, Stevens 8, Remogat 6, Payawal 5, Alcantara 4, Sawat 2, Beltran 0, Antiporda 0, Guevarra 0.
Quarters: 21-21, 46-44, 65-50, 91-76.