Ateneo’s elimination round schedule yesterday ended the way it began – with a big win over La Salle.
The Blue Eagles pushed the Green Archers to the wall early on and scored a 64-57 victory that should serve them in good stead as they head toward the Final Four of the 71st UAAP season.
It was the 13th win in 14 games for Ateneo, which reaffirmed its position as the top team after the elims, and will carry a hefty twice-to-beat advantage against No. 4 UE in the semis.
Exactly two months ago, also at the Big Dome, Ateneo defeated La Salle, 79-73, as the two teams, always eager to face each other on the court, launched their respective campaigns this year.
With the loss, La Salle ended up tied with Far Eastern U at 10-4. On Thursday, the two teams will figure in a huge playoff to determine who’s No. 2 and No. 3 in their own semis showdown.
A roaring crowd of close to 20,000 showed up for Sunday’s big event, some of whom even willing to cough up P5,000 to P7,000 for every patron ticket with a face value of only P250.
But agents of the National Bureau of Investigation, posing as buyers, nabbed 15 persons in the act of selling hot tickets. Among those nabbed were an ex-cop and a security guard of a nearby coffee shop.
Ateneo actually could have afforded to lose last night’s game and still end up at No. 1.
“We understood the situation that the game had more bearing for La Salle. But we wanted to win for the community. This rivalry is so hot so we came out with our best effort,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black.
“We didn’t want to disappoint our supporters,” he said after the game where the Blue Eagles led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, 14 in the second, 15 in the third and eight in the fourth.
The Green Archers never led in the game, but managed to threaten in the third period when they got to within three points, and early in the fourth where they moved to within six.
But they were bound to struggle in the face of Ateneo’s solid team defense. JV Casio, who normally hits the big shots in big games, was held scoreless in the first three quarters and went home with five points.
It was Casio’s worst scoring output this season, and with him went La Salle. He had a two-of-16 clip from the field and committed five turnovers in 27 minutes of play.
“It happens,” said his coach Franz Pumaren.
Over at the Blue Eagle Gym, Ateneo humbled defending junior champion La Salle-Zobel, 69-64, to clinch the top seeding in the Final Four.
Ian Enriquez came through with 13 points and 22 rebounds with Keifer Ravena, Juami Tiongson and Al Bugarin contributing at least 10 points each.
The Katipunan-based dribblers and the Junior Archers actually ended up with identical 12-2 slates but the former gained the higher seeding with a superior quotient.