Unbeaten Eagles book win No. 11, thwart Tams

MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo survived Far Eastern University, 65-55, to remain unbeaten in the UAAP Season 82 Men's Basketball tournament Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The Blue Eagles shook off a listless first half where they committed 16 turnovers and put on the work on the boards, outrebounding the Tamaraws, 53 to 34, with the blue side hauling down 22 from the offensive end.

Ange Kouame poured 10 points and hauled in 15 rebounds, 12 coming on the offensive end, while also rejecting four shots to keep Ateneo unscathed at 11-0.

Thirdy Ravena also got himself a double-double with his 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Pat Maagdenberg nabbed a career-high nine points and four boards.

Gian Mamuyac also made his impact outside of the stat sheets, being a plus-15 on the court as he did the yeoman job on defense despite only having three points, five rebounds, and one assist.

"FEU certainly gave us a wakeup call in the first half that we needed," said coach Tab Baldwin, with his side trailing, 42-29, early in the third frame.

Ateneo held FEU scoreless in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter where it took hold of a 54-47 lead.

Wendell Comboy helped the Tamaraws close in at two, 57-55, with 3:43 remaining, but the Blue Eagles responded with an 8-0 windup to finish the game.

FEU only scored 15 in the second half as they dropped to fifth at 5-6.

L-Jay Gonzales poured 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists to carry the Tamaraws.

The scores:

ATENEO 65 — Kouame 10, Ravena 10, Maagdenberg 9, Navarro 8, Wong 8, Belangel 5, Daves 4, Ma. Nieto 4, Mamuyac 3, Go 2, Mi. Nieto 2, Andrade 0, Tio 0.

FEU 55 — Gonzales 12, Bienes 8, Comboy 8, Tuffin 6, Cani 4, Ebona 4, Stockton 4, Tchuente 4, Torres 3, Alforque 2.

Quarterscores: 15-18, 29-40, 46-47, 65-55.