Blue Eagles, Blazers dispute Asiabasket crown

MANILA, Philippines -- It will be a UAAP versus NCAA affair in the 2023 Asiabasket Las Pinas finals as the Ateneo Blue Eagles will meet College of Saint Benilde Blazers in the championship game Sunday night.

Ateneo’s Kai Ballungay led the charge for the Blue Eagles Friday night at the Villar Coliseum in Las Pinas CIty, as they defeated Sanzar Pharmaceuticals, 89-79, in their semifinal match.

Ballungay carried the load for Ateneo with 17 points and hauled down six rebounds and dished out an assist.

Sanzar simply had no answer for Ateneo, which is undefeated in the tournament.

Meanwhile, the Blazers defeated the Gerald Anderson-led Corsa Tires also on Friday, 76-70.

The game was tight late in the fourth quarter with Benilde leading by three, 71-68, with about 45 seconds remaining.But a layup by Robi Nayve extended the lead to five, 73-68.

Corsa then retaliated with a layup to cut the lead to just three once again, 70-73, with 30 seconds remaining.

A corner 3-pointer by Blazer Felipe Marasigan put the game out of reach, 76-70, with 7.7 seconds remaining.

Anderson tried to trim the lead with a couple of 3-pointers but he failed to convert.

Nayve led the way for Benilde with 13 points and five rebounds.

Sanzar and Corsa will battle for the third seed on Sunday afternoon.

The Ateneo-Benilde match will be on Sunday evening after the 6 p.m. awarding.