Ateneo made quick work of Adamson, 78-47, to clinch its third straight win in the UAAP Season 84 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena Thursday, March 31.
Ange Kouame made the difference and led the Eagles with another double-double performance of 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 10 rebounds as the Katipunan-based squad extended their win streak to 29 since 2018.
The Gilas Pilipinas naturalized center sparked a commanding 18-0 run, with the help of Dave Ildefonso and Josh Lazaro, to power Ateneo's 26-point cushion, 54-28, with 1:54 left in the third period.
The Eagles never looked back from then on as all 14 players fielded by coach Tab Baldwin scored a basket.
Chris Koon delivered off the bench with nine points including two three-pointers and five rebounds while Tyler Tio, who was a vital piece of Ateneo’s 79-70 win against Far Eastern University, also chalked up nine.
Raffy Verano, Forthsky Padrigao, and Gab Gomez chipped in eight points each while Ildefonso, who showed impressive numbers in their first two games, added six points for the Eagles.
"We just think of everybody has a job to do. Today, we were able to get everybody on the court which we need to do," said Baldwin. "The energy was really good out there. Obviously, we had a lapse in the second quarter.
"We've got to figure out the reasons why we're having these lapses. But we recovered well in the second half and the energy is good as I've said," added the three-time UAAP champion coach.
The Falcons had their best chance with a 15-0 blitz late in the second period heading into the third to put the game within striking distance and trail by eight, 36-28, before the Eagles soared back with an emphatic run of their own.
Keith Zalvidar and Lenda Douanga paced Adamson, which dropped to a 1-2 record, with six points apiece with the latter adding 10 rebounds.
Cedrick Manzano, Joshua Yerro, Joaquin Jaymalin, and Ahmad Didat Hanapi scored five points each while Jerom Lastimosa, who had back-to-back breakout games for the Falcons, was limited to four points only.
The Scores:
ATENEO 78 -- Kouame 13, Tio 9, Koon 9, Padrigao 8, Verano 8, Gomez 8, Ildefonso 6, Chiu 3, Mendoza 3, Mamuyac 3, Belangel 2, Lazaro 2, Andrade 2, Berjay 2.
ADAMSON 47 -- Zaldivar 6, Douanga 6, Manzano 5, Yerro 5, Jaymalin 5, Hanapi 5, Lastimosa 4, Magbuhos 3, Peromingan 2, Sabandal 2, Erolon 2, Colonia 1, Calisay 1, Barasi 0, Fuentebella 0, Maata 0.
Quarters: 17-8, 36-24, 54-34, 78-47.