KATIPUNAN stays blue.
Ateneo slayed erstwhile unbeaten UP in overtime, 99-89, in a fitting finale to the first round of UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.
The Blue Eagles blew a 10-point lead in regulation but regained their composure in extra time, thanks to the clutch plays of Mason Amos before a crowd of 12,122 roaring fans.
The Gilas Pilipinas player scored seven points in overtime, including a step-back three-pointer and a jumper inside the lane that sparked Ateneo's decisive breakaway.
Amos finished with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds as Ateneo moved above .500 at 4-3 at the end of the first round - tied with arch-rival La Salle.
Meanwhile, UP’s first defeat left the Maroons tied with the NU Bulldogs at 6-1 at the top of the standings heading to the second round of the eliminations.
"It was a real character game for us because UP is a great team who played great. They did UP stuff the entire game. Their guards are the best set of UAAP guards I've seen in my entire time in the UAAP," said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.
"To win big games, you have to do things that are sort of out of system where guys have to step up and make plays. Today, we made a couple more than they did and that's the story of the game," he added.
From Ateneo's game-high 10-point lead in the fourth at 78-68, UP surged on a late 12-2 run to force overtime.
And as Francis Lopez went down late in OT with an apparent tweaked ankle, the Maroons were unable to repeat its late heroics in regulation en route to their first loss of Season 86.
Ateneo has won back-to-back games for the first time this season and also prevailed in its first overtime game after two prior losses to Adamson and FEU.
The scores:
Ateneo (99) – Amos 19, Koon 17, Obasa 13, Ballungay 10, Brown 9, Credo 8, Espinosa 8, Nieto 7, Quitevis 3, Lazaro 3, Chiu 2, Gomez 0.
UP (89) – Cansino 22, Diouf 13, Abadiano 12, Belmonte 9, Torres 8, Torculas 6, Lopez 5, Cagulangan 5, Alarcon 5, Alter 3, Felicilda 1, Briones 0, Gonzales 0.
Quarterscores: 20-18, 44-43, 68-63, 80-80, 99-89.
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