DEFENDING champion Ateneo sent Adamson crashing back to earth with a brutal 91-57 mugging in the UAAP Season 84 men's basketball tournament Tuesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Ateneo vs Adamson recap
The Blue Eagles clamped down on defense in the second quarter and limited the Soaring Falcons to just seven points while also forcing 10 turnovers in the second quarter alone to take the 40-24 halftime lead.
It was all Ateneo from there, with Forthsky Padrigao's three with 24.2 seconds remaining pushing the final spread to 34-points, the biggest lead in the game.
"I think our second quarter was really telling in this game," said coach Tab Baldwin. "Nash [Racela] always does a good job and they came out exceptionally well-prepared and exceptionally motivated in the first quarter. They attacked our press right away and at the end of the first quarter, it was a contest for sure. Everybody that came out in the second quarter really dug in, and that was the telling quarter."
Ange Kouame sparked the Blue Eagles' early pullaway as he scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half, to go with nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Ateneo improved to 12-0 for the season, extending its win streak to 38 straight games dating back to October 2018.
With the Blue Eagles imposing its will early on, Baldwin had the luxury of giving more time for his lesser used guys, with Matthew Daves pouring a season-best 18 points, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal in the conquest.
Chris Koon also had eight points and seven boards, Dave Ildefonso got seven points, six rebounds, and two dimes, and SJ Belangel got seven points, two boards, and two assists in the win.
Adamson, on the other hand, saw its four-game win streak snapped as it sits precariously at fifth place with its 5-7 record.
Jerom Lastimosa tried his best to will the Soaring Falcons with his 16 points, two rebounds, and two assists, but got little help from his supporting cast.
The Scores:
ATENEO 91 -- Kouame 18, Daves 18, Koon 8, Ildefonso 7, Belangel 7, Padrigao 6, Tio 6, Verano 6, Mamuyac 6, Mendoza 4, Andrade 3, Lazaro 2, Gomez 0.
ADAMSON 57 -- Lastimosa 16, Manzano 8, Yerro 8, Douanga 6, Barasi 5, Hanapi 4, Sabandal 3, Peromingan 3, Colonia 2, Magbuhos 2, Jaymalin 0, Zaldivar 0, Maata 0, Fuentebella 0, Erolon 0, Calisay 0.
Quarters: 20-17, 40-24, 65-41, 91-57.
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