Ateneo’s Ange Kouame dunks the ball against National University in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena. Photo from UAAP
MANILA, Philippines—Ateneo went wire-to-wire against National University, hammering out a 74-64 victory Tuesday for a fifth straight win in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena.
The Blue Eagles, who haven’t lost since October in 2018, are now riding a 31-game winning streak in their hunt for a fourth straight crown.
Ange Kouame nearly posted a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks and added two steals as he anchored Ateneo’s defense.
Comebacking Dave Ildefonso topscored for the Eagles with 14 points and three assists while gutsy guard SJ Belangel added 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Ildefonso had nine points in the first half on 60 percent shooting from the field as Ateneo raced to leads of as many as 11 before resting on a 41-33 cushion at the break.
The Eagles started strong as the Bulldogs needed a lot of help from their bench to stay in the game.
Reyalnd Torres finished with 14 points to lead NU, while John Lloyd Clemente and Ernest Fekicilda added 12 and 10 respectively for the Bulldogs—all three of them came off the bench.
Both teams struggled from the perimeter in the first two periods, with Ateneo, despite Ildefonso’s 50 percent clip from beyond the arc, making 4-of-18 shots there. NU was only slightly better at 3-of-13.
Both teams also had little opportunities in transition, with NU scoring four points off fast breaks and Ateneo coasting to just two.