MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Eagles bounced back with a statement win over the UST Growling Tigers, 97-77, Wednesday morning at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Blue Eagles vented their ire on the Tigers, dealing them their 19th straight loss in the UAAP dating back to last season — the worst stretch in UST history.
With Ateneo leading by as much as 14 in the third quarter, 54-40, off a Chris Koon 3-pointer, UST cut the lead to just four, 62-58, following putback by Angelo Crisostomo with 2:47 remaining in the canto.
Bu, Ateneo ended the quarter with a 10-3 run to grab a 72-61 lead.
The lead ballooned to 18 as the Blue Eagles started the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run to mount a 79-61 cushion with 8:27 remaining.
UST was unable to cut the lead to single digits.
Ateneo’s Raffy Celis hit a 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds remaining to give Ateneo a 22-point lead, 97-75 — the biggest of the game.
Koon led Ateneo with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Kai Ballungay and Joseph Obasa had 17 apiece.
Meanwhile, Nic Cabanero once again carried the load for UST, finishing with 21 markers, seven boards and four assists.
The Blue Eagles made 52.7% of their field goals compared to 40.6% from UST.
Ateneo finished with 36 free throw attempts, making 27.
UST, on the other hand, went 150-of-22 from charity stripe.
In the third quarter, the Blue Eagles made 11-of-13 freebies, while UST finished the quarter 1-of-3 from the free throw line.
Ateneo is now holding a 3-3 win-loss record, while UST is left with a league-worst 0-6 slate.