MANILA – Ateneo Blue Eagles made it outright to the finals of the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball with an 86-64 win over University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Ivorian import Angelo Kouame tallied 20 points, 12 rebounds, five rejections, two assists, and one steal as the Blue Eagles swept all of their 14 matches to make it to the finals outright.
Negrense Samjosef Belangel added 14 markers on Wednesday night. Will Navarro poured 13 points, two boards, two dimes, and two steals, and Thirdy Ravena gathered 11 points, five assists, four boards, and three steals.
From a seesaw battle in the opening period, the Blue Eagles leaned on the exploits of Belangel in the second frame as he spearhead a 19-2 rally that turned a 25-24 deficit to a 43-27 lead.
It was all Ateneo since then going on a 53-percent field goal shooting and enjoying leads as high as 24 points in the second half while Fighting Maroons struggled with their hits.
“We understand that this is a significant accomplishment for a basketball team in a season. As you all know, the job isn’t done. This is the season before the season,” said Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin.
For the Fighting Maroons, which dropped to 9-5, Kobe Paras finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Bright Akhuetie and Javi Gomez de Liano both scored 11./PN
