SJ Belangel and BJ Andrade waxed hot from beyond the arc in the third period as reigning champion Ateneo cruised past De La Salle, 75-68, for its eighth straight win in the UAAP Season 84 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Tuesday night, April 12.
Andrade and Belangel caught fire and displayed their three-point shooting prowess in front of 11,124 spectators, mostly clad in pink, to stretch the Blue Eagles' lead by as many as 17 points midway through the third quarter.
The Green Archers fought back in the payoff period behind the efforts of Evan Nelle and Kurt Lojera but veterans Gian Mamuyac and Ange Kouame showed poise and responded with their respective baskets.
Nelle and Lojera did not stop their offensive run but De La Salle was left hanging with a huge deficit to overcome as time expired.
"We really had to make adjustments," said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin. "I thought La Salle’s discipline on defense was outstanding. We figured a few things out in the second half."
Belangel posted 15 points built on three triples to go with six rebounds and three assists while Mamuyac scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting for the Eagles, who remained unbeaten in 34 straight matches since October 2018 and completed its elimination sweep against rival Archers.
Dave Ildefonso, who was a key cog for Ateneo in the first half, finished with nine points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, and Andrade chalked up nine points highlighted by three triples, missing only once from beyond the arc.
De La Salle suffered from a downward spiral after Joaqui Manuel was called for an unsportsmanlike foul on Ange Kouame, who was limited to seven points and nine rebounds after sustaining three personal fouls, with 7:18 to go in the third quarter.
Kouame split his technical free throws before Nelle responded with a sidestep drive to the basket to trail by one, 39-38.
The ensuing plays became a sudden blur as Ateneo unloaded a commanding 18-2 run sparked by Andrade's triple to take a comfortable 57-40 cushion.
Andrade signaled the impending assault as Kouame, Mamuyac, and Matthew Daves had a share of their respective baskets and Belangel followed up with back-to-back triples to pull away.
Mark Nonoy, Justine Baltazar, and Lojera connived for a mini 5-0 blitz but Tyler Tio won't be silenced as he sank a pair of free throws, 60-47, heading into the payoff period.
Despite the loss, Lojera was a force to be reckoned with after leading all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting along with six rebounds while Nelle had 20 points and four steals for the Archers, who slipped to a 5-3 record.
Sans the usual green and blue crowd but welcomed with the same intensity, the Ateneo-De La Salle showdown was flooded with a sea of pink as both schools expressed their support for the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo in the May 2022 elections.
The Scores:
ATENEO 75 -- Belangel 15, Mamuyac 15, Ildefonso 9, Andrade 9, Kouame 7, Tio 6, Verano 4, Koon 4, Daves 4, Chiu 2, Lazaro 0, Mendoza 0.
DE LA SALLE 68 -- Lojera 21, Nelle 20, Winston 10, Baltazar 10, M. Phillips 3, Nonoy 3, Manuel 1, B. Phillips 0, Cuajao 0, Nwankwo 0.
Quarters: 21-18, 35-32, 60-47, 75-68.