Strong finish

For whatever reason, our first half was something that we have to learn from and then forget about it and move on

GIAN Mamuyac (left) and Ateneo coast to their sixth straight win. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

Ateneo de Manila University gave of the East (UE) a master class on how to deliver a knockout punch.

After a rusty start, the Blue Eagles stepped on the gas to roar to an 85-68 victory over the Red Warriors to stay unscathed in Season 82 University Athletics Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Blue Eagles found themselves trailing in the first half, 34-35, but outscored the Red Warriors in the third period, 35-15, to seize control of the game and never look back to stay on top of the standings with a 6-0 win-loss mark.

Six-foot-10 Ivorian Angelo Kouame led the defending champions with 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks while Thirdy Ravena added 15 point, five boards and four assists.

“For whatever reason, our first half was something that we have to learn from and then forget about it and move on,” said Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin, whose wards took it easy following that third-quarter outburst.

“Teams are going to pick you apart, they are going to analyze it and they are going to try and figure out how to counter what you are doing and we should anticipate that,” he added.

Former Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. standout Rey Suerte, the hero in UE’s stunning 89-88 win over La Salle, paced his team with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists while Chris Conner added nine markers for the Red Warriors, who dropped to 1-5.

Ateneo entered the fourth period with a 69-50 advantage and Pat Maagdenberg’s back-to-back gave them a 76-54 lead with 6:39 remaining and UE never had a serious run since then.

Meanwhile, National University (NU) snapped a five-game losing streak after humiliating the misfiring Far Eastern University, 61-39, for its first win in the tournament.

The Ildefonso brothers — Dave and Shaun — were instrumental in the Bulldogs’ victory as NU’s defense held the Tamaraws to just 13 points in the first 20 minutes of the game.

Dave Ildefonso led the Bulldogs with 20 points and eight rebounds while Migs Oczon added nine points and seven boards. Team captain Shaun chipped in eight points and six rebounds.

“Despite all those losses, we are still very competitive and we are all still here. The reason why I brought all these young men here because we lose together and we win together,” NU head coach Jamike Jarin said.

In the third game, Juan Gomez de Liano hit a huge three-pointer to lift University of the Philippines (UP) to a 72-71 squeaker over De La Salle University.

As the Green Archers failed to close out the game, the Fighting Maroons saw an opportunity the pull the rug under La Salle and Gomez de Liano’s triple gave UP a one-point lead with 7.8 ticks left.

The Green Archers sued for a timeout and Andrei Caracut’s long three-point attempt was way off the mark and the Fighting Maroons kept the No. 2 spot with a 5-1 win-loss mark while La Salle dropped to 2-4.

Kobe Paras led UP with 21 points while Bright Akhuetie and Gomez de Liano chipped in 17 and 10 markers, respectively.