MANILA, Philippines — Reigning champion Ateneo repelled archrival La Salle’s repeated rallies to take a hard-earned 81-69 win in the 82nd UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum last night.
Twin brothers Mike and Matt Nieto got the Blue Eagles to a strong start, racing to a 22-point halftime lead (51-29) before Gian Mamuyac helped quell the Green Archers’ feisty uprising.
Mike uncorked 18 points, five rebounds and four assists while Matt added 15 but it was Mamuyac who doused cold water on La Salle’s fightback, scoring eight of the team’s last 10 points to finish with 14 as Ateneo scored a second straight win in as many games to kick off its three-peat bid on a high note.
Counting their 70-52 win over Adamson earlier, the Eagles gained a share of pole position with the impressive young squad of UST at 2-0.
The Tigers started their own season with huge wins over UE (95-82) and UP (85-69).
“It’s tough, it’s always difficult against La Salle. We were pushed to the limit in the second half. But overall, our defense was hard and aggressive. We covered our mistakes with our defense,” said Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin.
In the other game, FEU rode high on Wendell Comboy’s hot shooting to trounce listless UE, 81-65.
Comboy unloaded six triples and finished with a new career-high of 24 points while his backcourt partner Ljay Gonzales posted 14 markers and eight boards as the Tamaraws bounced back from a tough 61-55 loss to UP last week.
“It’s always nice to get your first win in the season especially after that opening day loss. We just need to play hard every game and win more,” said FEU coach Olsen Racela.
The scores:
First Game
FEU 81 – Comboy 24, Gonzales 14, Tchuente 9, Ebona 7, Cani 7, Torres 6, Tuffin 5, Bienes 5, Stockton 2, Alforque 2, Celzo 0, Bayquin 0.
UE 65 – Diakhite 21, Suerte 17, Abanto 8, Manalang 8, Mendoza 4, Sawat 3, Pagsanjan 2, Apacible 2, Cruz 0, Tolentino 0, Camacho 0, Beltran 0, Antiporda 0.
Quarterscores: 17-10, 34-25, 58-51, 81-65
Second Game
ATENEO 81 – Nieto Mi 18, Nieto Ma 15, Mamuyac 14, Navarro 8, Andrade 6, Kouame 6, Ravena 6, Tio 4, Belangel 2, Go 2, Daves 0, Maagdenberg 0
LA SALLE 69 – Malonzo 18, Caracut 14, Baltazar 10, Serrano 8, Melecio 7, Lojera 6, Manuel 6, Bartlett 0, Bates 0, Cagulangan 0, Cu 0, Hill 0, Meeker 0, Pado 0
Quarterscores: 23-21, 51-29, 66-50, 81-69