Ateneo de Manila University pulled off a 66-52 win over University of Santo Tomas (UST) to kick off its campaign in the second round of Season 82 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament on a high note last night at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Thirdy Ravena paced the attack while sophomore CJ Belangel chipped in significant numbers for the Blue Eagles, who captured their eighth straight win.

Ravena nailed a team-high 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals while Belangel added 11 markers and four rebounds for Ateneo, which had a tough time putting the Tigers away.

“It was really tough. It was truly a physical game,” said Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin.

“They will make your life miserable when they play against you.”

An acrobatic layup by Gian Mamuyac gave Ateneo its biggest lead at 14, 64-50, in the final 54 seconds before Belangel nailed a jumper for the final count.

“The pace also distracted us from making our shots. UST’s defense was tough,” Ravena said.

Mark Nonoy tallied a career-high 18 points and three rebounds while Rhenz Abando had seven markers for UST, which suffered their fourth loss in eight games.