Ateneo a win away from a sweep of the first round after whipping UST

MANILA, Philippines–Ateneo pulled to within a win of sweeping the first round of the 74^th UAAP men’s basketball after a 66 53 drubbing of University of Santo Tomas Thursday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Blue Eagles, who streaked to their sixth win, bucked a horrendous shooting by catching the Growling Tigers off guard with 26 fastbreak points compared to three.

“The thing that helped us win this game is we got out and ran,” longtime Ateneo mentor Norman Black told the reporters.

Prized rookie Kiefer Ravena underscored the triumph with a team-high 18 points while Nico Salva added 14, even as seven-foot center Greg Slaughter was a non-factor with six markers.

The Blue Eagles shot just one-of-18 from beyond the arch but still led by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter.

“The goal is go get as many wins as we can,” added Black as Ateneo hopes to bag the twice-to-beat incentive at the end of the eliminations.

Ateneo handily surged ahead, 37-20, to kick off the second half after scoring eight points in a mere minute.

The Blue Eagles have defeated the UST for the 10^th straight time, exactly four years ago.

Diminutive scorer Jeric Fortuna was the lone bright spot in the stagnant offense of the Growling Tigers, who only had eight assists compared to Ateneo’s 20, as he finished with 18 points and six rebounds.

The usually hot-shooting UST, who tied with University of the Philippines with a 2-3 slate, nailed just two of its 14 attempts from the three-point area.

The Tigers tried to counter the attack, but could only trim the lead down to 10 points.