Reigning champion Ateneo stepped on the gas in the second quarter to snap Adamson's four-match win streak with an emphatic 91-57 victory in the UAAP Season 84 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Tuesday night, April 26.
Ange Kouame proved to be too much for the error-plagued Soaring Falcons as he spearheaded the Blue Eagles with 18 points, 13 coming from the first half alone, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals en route to their 12th straight victory this season and their 38th consecutive wins since October 2018.
Ateneo clamped down on defense in the second quarter to limit Adamson to seven points only compared to its 20-point production.
"Second quarter, I think our defense, everybody that went out there in the second quarter really dug in and that was a telling quarter," said Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin.
"It sort of established the mentality that we're looking for in the game and that is to impose our defense and rebounding on our opponents. That's what happened in the second quarter."
Matthew Daves also delivered off the bench for Ateneo with a career-high of 18 points on an 8-of-10 shooting.
The Eagles led by as many as 18 points at the end of the second frame, 40-24, before sizzling for another run to stretch the lead to 24 in the payoff period and take a comfortable 67-43 cushion.
Ateneo never looked back from that point as Adamson, which sustained a 5-7 record at fifth place, just couldn’t put the necessary stops.
Jerom Lastimosa was the lone bright spot for the Falcons and had 16 points on a 6-of-11 clip.
Ateneo, already assured of a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs, takes on fourth-placer Far Eastern University on Thursday, April 28 at 4:30 p.m. while Adamson seeks to retake the fourth spot against third-seeded De La Salle University at their 12:30 p.m. encounter.
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.