Ateneo head into their highly-anticipated meeting with archrivals La Salle with a 13-game winning streak, dispatching their Katipunan rivals the University of the Philippines, 96-82, this past Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Maroons rode on their hot shooting and fast pace into a 48-42 halftime lead, and even erected a 60-50 lead in the third quarter, but the Blue Eagles remained composed and methodically whittled down at the lead to eventually establish a 79-68 lead in the fourth quarter.
UP would answer that Ateneo run with an 11-0 run of their own to tie it at 79, anchored by the Gomez de Liano brothers. Unfortunately for the Maroons, that was pretty much it as the Blue Eagles ended the game on a 17-3 run. Most of those points came from the free throw line as they feasted on UP being in the penalty. Ateneo would finish 25/36 from the line, compared to 13/19 for UP.
Matt Nieto led the Blue Eagles with nineteen points, four rebounds, and two assists, while Thirdy Ravena provided an all-around effort with ten points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
Juan Gomez de Liano led the Maroons with 21 points, while Paul Desiderio added sixteen markers on 6/18 shooting.
Assistant Head Coach Sandy Arespacochaga credited UP's effort, as they had a great gameplan and showed "a lot of fight." He also said that the team showed character in this game, noting what head coach Tab Baldwin challenged them heading into the second half.
The win puts the Blue Eagles one victory away from an eliminations sweep and would clinch an automatic finals berth for Ateneo. Only the Green Archers this Sunday stand in their way in attempting to complete such a sweep. It also assured them that they will finish first after the eliminations, regardless of the result.
As for the Maroons, NU's victory over the Tamaraws ensured that their matchup this Saturday against the Bulldogs will be for a chance to potentially face off against Far Eastern University for a playoff, provided the Tamaraws lose that same day against Adamson. (c/o Kim Karlo Castro)
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