Ateneo nears elims sweep, ousts UE

Photo from UAAP

ANTIPOLO – Ateneo moved within a couple of wins from an outright finals slot while eliminating University of the East with an emphatic 84-50 triumph last Sunday in UAAP Season 82 basketball tournament at
Ynares Center.

Isaac Go fired a season-high 13 points, while Ange Kouame and Thirdy Ravena contributed 11 each for Ateneo, which had 14 of its 16 players entering the scoring column in their 12th straight win of the season.

The Eagles led by as many as 36 points in the final period as they eliminated the Red Warriors from contention in the Final Four.

With the outcome settled as early as the end of the third period, Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin had the luxury of playing rookies Geo Chiu and Jason Credo, who combined for eight points in the final period.

The Eagles’ unforgiving defense held the Warriors to just 35 points in the first three periods.

UE, which got off to a promising start in the second round with an 80-74 upset of Adamson, just shot 33 percent as it fell to a fourth straight defeat.

Alex Diakhite finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, but Rey Suerte was the only other player in twin digits with 10 points.