After shaky starts to the UAAP Season 86 basketball tournaments, the Ateneo Blue Eagles and UST Tigresses found their winning forms to cap the first-round battles on a high note – thanks to Mason Amos and Kent Pastrana, respectively.
Amos delivered stellar performances in his last two games to tow the Blue Eagles to their first back-to-back wins this season.
Pastrana anchored the Tigresses to a 2-0 record in the October 16-22 period, enough to get the nods of the Collegiate Press Corps as the UAAP Players of the Week.
Mason Amos leads Ateneo's strong finish to Round 1
Rookie ace Amos came up big in the “Battle of Katipunan” with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting laced by 10 rebounds in an overtime thriller which dealt league leader UP its first loss in seven games, 99-89, last Sunday.
READ: Ateneo rookie Mason Amos glad he's 'improving bit by bit' after rough start
Seven of the Fil-Aussie rookie's 19 points came in extra time, which gave the Blue Eagles an unassailable lead to keep the Maroons at bay for the very first time in Season 86.
"For me, it was just about getting a good look. Shot clock was running down so the only thing that was in my mind at the time was trying to get a shot off because it would’ve been a turnover. But then, you get something that just falls and I guess I just had to do it like that," Amos said.
Amos was also pivotal in Ateneo’s 97-77 win against last-placed UST last Wednesday, dropping 15 points in just 12 minutes of action.
The 6-foot-7 cager recorded 17.0 points, 5.5 boards, and 2.0 dimes on 60% shooting from three-point range to beat UST's Nic Cabañero and his teammate Chris Koon for the weekly honors presented by San Miguel Corporation and backed by minor sponsors Discovery Suites and Jockey.
Kent Pastrana snaps UST's two-game skid in women's tilt
Meanwhile, Pastrana took it upon herself to pace UST in the women’s division as they recovered from two straight losses with a 90-67 win over Ateneo and n 82-66 pummeling of FEU to finish the first round.
Pastrana recorded 22.5 points per game, including a 28-point outing against FEU, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals, and 2.5 assists that propelled UST to the No. 3 spot with a 5-2 slate.
She outshone NU’s Karl Pingol and Ateneo's Jhaz Joson for the weekly citation.
“Gagawin ko pa rin po yung best ko every game po. Lahat po kami gagawin yung best namin hangga’t makukuha namin yung panalo every game. Magtitiwala pa rin po kami sa isa’t isa. Syempre hindi ko naman po kaya na mag-isa. Pagkakatiwalaan ko rin yung mga kasama ko. Kaya namin gawin lahat kasi andyan yung mga coaches namin,” said Pastrana.
Ateneo eyes to extend its winning run to three games on October 25 against the FEU Tamaraws at the Mall of Asia Arena while UST tangles with league-leader UP in the women’s side on the same day at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum to start the second round.
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