MANILA – Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles eliminated University of the East Red Warriors from UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball Final Four contention with an 80-74 victory on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Jared Brown drilled six three-pointers to finish with 21 points to lead the way for the Blue Eagles, which secured their third straight win for a 7-6 record and force at least a playoff for the last semis slot.
Kai Ballungay added 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds, while Joseph Obasa scored 13, grabbed 11 rebounds, and recorded two blocks for the defending champions Blue Eagles.
Despite the win, Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin remained unimpressed with his squad, especially with their fourth quarter performance as they allowed the Red Warriors to rally to within six points.
“I thought we looked a little bit disinterested today. There was no excuse for that. It’s disappointing turning the ball over as much as we did and not be more dominant in the rebounding when we had a significant size disadvantage,” said Baldwin.
After Ballungay’s triple that pushed the Blue Eagles lead to 70-55, the Red Warriors leaned on the offense of Noy Remogat, Ethan Galang, Allen Maglupay, and Wello Lingolingo to cut the deficit to 68-72.
However, Sean Quitevis and Mason Amos answered back for Ateneo with a single free throw and a post move shot, respectively, to restore some order with 50 seconds to go, 75-68.
“I just feel like we weren’t as locked in and personally, I made some turnovers that I made because I wasn’t locked in and that’s what killed us,” said Brown.
Remogat led the Red Warriors with 22 points to go with seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals, Lingolingo chipped in 14 points, while Abdul Sawat and Galang ended with 12 points each.
Precious Momowei, the 6-foot-9 Nigerian center of UE, was suspended for this game after committing his second unsportsmanlike foul as the Red Warriors dropped to 4-9 to miss the post-season for the 14th straight year./PN
BOX SCORE:
ATENEO 80 – Brown 21, Ballungay 15, Obasa 13, Espinosa 5, Koon 5, Chiu 5, Amos 4, Nieto 3, Quitevis 3, Gamber 3, Credo 2, Celis 1, Lazaro 0, Bongo 0, Tuano 0.
UE 74 – Remogat 22, Lingolingo 14, Galang 12, Sawat 12, Alcantara 6, Maglupay 5, Langit 2, Tulabut 1, Cruz-Dumont 0, Spandonis 0, Cabero 0, Gilbuena 0, Manalang 0.
Quarterscores: 18-21, 42-34, 62-48, 80-74.
