MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo turned to Earl Murphy and Jerie Pingoy at endgame as the Blue Eagles came from behind to beat the Lyceum Pirates, 84-80, in the 10th Fr. Martin Collegiate Open Cup at the Arellano gym in Legarda over the weekend.
It was Ateneo’s second straight win as it joined Jose Rizal U and Far Eastern U in the Group A lead.
Cameroonian Abdouladif Poutouochi scored 19 points to power the Heavy Bombers past the St. Joseph College-Bulacan side, 122-51, while Joel Lee Yu hit a free throw in the last 8.2 seconds to lift the FEU-B Tamaraws to a 74-72 triumph over the San Sebastian College-A Stags.
The top four finishers in the two-group field will qualify for the semifinals.
The Blue Eagles rallied from eight points down in the third, overtook the Pirates behind a triple from Murphy in the last 1:20 for an 82-80 edge. Pingoy then canned two charities to seal the win.
Anton Asistio fired 21 points for the Blue Eagles, while Chibueze Ikeh banged in 18 points and Pingoy finished with 17 markers.
CJ Perez had 25 points for the Stags, who had a chance to force overtime after Lee Yu split his charity shots, 72-74.