Ateneo de Manila University finally earned its first victory in the 2023 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup with a resounding 77-52 rout of Centro Escolar University on Monday, June 5.

Ateneo's Sean Quitevis.

Reeling after five straight defeats to commence their campaign, the Blue Eagles left no stones unturned at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan as they dominated the Scorpions in all fronts.

Ian Espinosa maximized the minutes given to him and corralled 12 points from four treys as the UAAP kings went 12-of-34 from distance. Sean Quitevis was also all over the floor with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists, as Kai Ballungay nabbed 10 in the breakthrough.

"It is an experimental period, a developmental period and we need a lot of it. We're trying to understand adjustments and adaptations that we need in our roster and it's an ongoing process," said coach Tab Baldwin.

CEU exited with eight losses in a row after a tourney-opening win, with Daniel Marcelo top-scoring in its swansong with 18 points.

Meanwhile, Miggy Corteza put up 23 points as he secured College of St. Benilde a place in the quarterfinals with an 84-78 conquest over Lyceum of the Philippines University.

The senior forward delivered the knockout blow for the Blazers as his open layup in the final 1:43 extended their lead to six before the rest of Benilde followed suit and played solid defense down the stretch.

"Miggy really gave us a lift, but it's typical of us and it really showed our lack of maturity which is obvious that we need to work on," said coach Charles Tiu.

Paul Turco missed out on a double-double with 11 points and nine boards, and Michael Mara got 10 and nine for the Blazers, who finished the Group I eliminations with a 6-3 card and are locked onto a top three spot for the next round of the premiere preseason tournament supported by Filoil, EcoOil, Hanes, Akari, Reyes BBQ, BDO, Kalos Sportswear, and Molten.

Enoch Valdez paced the Pirates with 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists, as LPU, even with the same slate as Benilde, awaits its fate in the playoffs due to a lesser quotient.

Another team that boosted its bid for the Group I quarterfinals is Colegio de San Juan de Letran which fought back from 16 points down to stun Mapua University, 70-67.

Pao Javillonar scored the go-ahead putback with 39.8 seconds left before Kurt Reyson's split from the line stretched the lead to three going to the final 11 seconds. Reyson ended with 14 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists while Deo Cuajao scored 12 points off a pair of treys complemented by Javillonar who got 10 points and five boards.

"Simple lang ang sinabi namin sa players nung halftime: kung sino ang gustong maglaro, yun ang lumabas sa dugout at masaya naman ako na nag-respond sila," said coach Rensy Bajar, as his side climbed up to a 6-2 record.

The three-peat NCAA champions can get the top-seed for the next round with a win against current top seed University of Perpetual Help on Friday. On the other hand, the 5-3 Cardinals need to triumph over Jose Rizal University on Tuesday to claim a playoff berth.

Over in Group II, National University improved its quarterfinals chances with its third straight win after a 73-point decimation of also-ran Faith Colleges of Batangas, 142-69.

Renzo Abiera put up 21 points, John Lloyd Clemente scored 20, as five other players notched double-figure scoring in a game where the Bulldogs shot 17-of-38 from deep to go up to 6-2, good for solo second ahead of idle the University of the Philippines (5-2).

Nonetheless, coach Jeff Napa remained unsatisfied, saying, "Sa mga games na ito namin dapat mahanap yung identity ng team namin which nagsisimula naman sa depensa."

The Bravehearts remained winless through eight games in their maiden foray in this preseason league.