ATENEO marched on to the UAAP Season 85 men's basketball finals after whipping Adamson, 81-60, on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The top-seeded Blue Eagles once again leaned on their patented third-quarter runs, scoring 19 unanswered points to turn a 44-36 lead into a 63-36 advantage entering the payoff period.
That run further stretched to a 22-0 assault, with Anton Quitevis' three making it a 30-point spread, 66-36, early in the final canto, putting the outcome beyond doubt.
[READ: UP Maroons book return trip to UAAP Finals]
Ateneo now moves on to its sixth straight Finals appearance and arranged a grudge match against defending champion University of the Philippines, which earlier drubbed National University, 69-61.
This will be the third time in four seasons that the Blue Eagles and the Fighting Maroons will be colliding in the championship series.
Game One is set on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Chris Koon shot a superb 4-of-5 from distance for his 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists, and Kai Ballungay got three treys for his 13 points and four boards.
Ateneo shot a sizzling 16-of-28 clip from beyond the arc, a mercurial 57 percent clip.
"We had our best offensive performance of the year," said coach Tab Baldwin, relishing in this triumph while giving toast to the tremendous effort that Adamson put up.
"In the cauldron of a semifinal, you need more than that. You need time to prepare, you need rest and you need a full team hitting on all cylinders. Tonight, I think we were that team, and [the Falcons] were just a bunch of fighters out there, and I really admire them for the fight they put up."
Dave Ildefonso went a rebound shy of a double-double with his 11 points, nine rebounds, and four dimes, while Ange Kouame was the same with his nine points, 10 boards, two blocks, and an assist.
Forthsky Padrigao topscored with 16 points to go with five dimes, three rebounds, and two steals for the Blue Eagles, who found no need for the twice-to-beat advantage they gained as the top seeds.
It was a sad end to the inspiring run of No. 4 Adamson as Jerom Lastimosa was held to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting just days after leading the Falcons to a do-or-die win over La Salle for the final semifinal spot.
He missed all of his seven shots from distance while also gathering five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Lastimosa got scant contributions from his supporting cast, with Didat Hanapi scoring 12 and Cedrick Manzano nabbing eight points and 12 boards just among the few to produce in the losing cause in this semifinal affair.
The scores:
ATENEO 81 - Padrigao 16, Koon 15, Ballungay 13, Ildefonso 11, Kouame 9, Andrade 5, Gomez 3, Quitevis 3, Garcia 3, Daves 2, Lao 1, Lazaro 0, Chiu 0, Fetalvero 0, Fornilos 0, Ong 0.
ADAMSON 60 - Lastimosa 10, Hanapi 9, Manzano 8, Yerro 7, Douanga 6, Flowers 6, Torres 5, Sabandal 3, V. Magbuhos 3, Colonia 2, Manlapaz 1, Fuentebella 0, Jaymalin 0, Barasi 0, W. Magbuhos 0, Barcelona 0.
Quarters: 20-13, 39-29, 63-36, 81-60.
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