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Blue Eagles swoop down on Warriors, grab solo first

By JUSTIN KENNETH CARANDANG, GMA News

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The Ateneo Blue Eagles dismantled the UE Red Warriors to solidify its hold of the top spot in the standings, 90-70, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Red Warriors tried to chase the Blue Eagles during the second half, making 19 against Ateneo's 17 points during the fourth period, and painting the town red during the third quarter with 27 points, outscoring the Blue Eagles by 11 points.

However, the Katipunan-based squad had a dominant first half, storming UE during the second period, 28-9, to end at 57-24.

Raffy Verano and Jolo Mendoza combined for 20 at the half. The blue-and-white team finished the first period with a score twice as much as the Warriors' performance, 29-15.

 

 

 

"We had a terrific first half, both offensively and defensively, especially in the second quarter. [During the] third quarter, UE came out with more fire. [At the] second half, they outworked us but that's one of the characteristics of this UE team, they work hard until the end and it's a good thing we had a cushion in the first half," Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arrespacochaga said.

Ange Kouame stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

Sophomore Tyler Tio set a career-high with 16 points.

Asked about his performance, the sophomore guard said he is just doing his part. "I guess I'm just trying my best to do my part. I'm not really trying to step out of my comfort zone and do extra. I'm just trying to do what coach says," the former Xavier standout said.

Arreaspacochaga also praised Tio. "He's doing his role. That's the role given to him and is expected of him. Think about it, that's a big responsibility stepping in for a player like Matt [Nieto] but that's what the team needs to do. We trust in him also. He's stepping up and he's doing his job."

 

 

Thirdy Ravena, coming back after serving his suspension, listed 10 points and five rebounds. "I couldn't wait to play with my teammates once again. It's good to be back pero there are still a lot of things to improve on," he said.

Arrespacochaga added that while the team is happy that Ravena is back on the court, they are happier that everyone in the team has been stepping up. "Each member of the team is important for us actually. We're happy that Thirdy's back and we could feel his presence. To his credit, even though he wasn't gonna play last game, he helped his teammates to get ready. He still worked hard in practice. We're happy that Thirdy's back, but also, we're happy, I don't know if it's a blessing in disguise, but all the other players had to step up." 

King Warrior Alvin Pasaol led the Recto-based squad with 29 points while Philip Manalang pitched in 18 points.

With the win, the Blue Eagles are now on top of the standings with eight wins and two losses, while the Warriors remain at the bottom with one win and nine losses.

Ateneo will be back on the court on Saturday to face the NU Bulldogs, while UE will go against UST on Sunday.

Scores:

ADMU (90) - Kouame - 18, Tio - 16, Verano - 14, Ravena - 10, Mendoza - 10, Mamuyac - 6, Belangel - 6, Navarro - 5, Black - 3, Daves - 2, Asistio - 0, Wong - 0, Go - 0, Andrade - 0.

UE (70) - Pasaol - 29, Manalang - 18, Varilla - 9, Cullar - 6, Bartolome - 4, Strait - 2, Guion -1, Beltran - 1, Gallardo - 0, Lacap - 0, Antiporda - 0, Acuno -0 , Gagate - 0.

— RSJ, GMA News

Tags: uaap81, ateneoblueeagles, ueredwarriors
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