Ateneo ends three-game slide, eliminates UST from Final Four race
At A Glance
- Defending champion Ateneo finally broke through in the second round of the UAAP Season 86 men's basketball tournament after coming away with a 67-59 victory against University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Defending champion Ateneo finally broke through in the second round of the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament after coming away with a 67-59 victory against University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Blue Eagles snapped their three-game losing skid to improve with a 5-6 tally in the standings, good enough to remain in contention for the playoffs.

With the result, the Growling Tigers, in turn, are officially eliminated from the Final Four race for the third straight time.
Kai Ballungay finished with a double-double performance of 15 points and 14 rebounds after struggling to find his form in the previous games.
Chris Koon and Jaren Brown, for their parts, tallied 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Ateneo leaned on its strong 43-29 first half lead which bailed the squad out of a dismal final half showing.
Mason Amos’s triple gave the Blue Eagles their biggest advantage of 34-16 in the match.
However, UST regained some control in the third quarter and nearly stormed its way back, limiting Ateneo to just two attempts made from the field before Koon hit a timely three-pointer to keep a 50-43 separation.
Both squads saw a closely contested fourth period unfold, but Ateneo ultimately came out on top which it owed to its first half display.
Nic Cabañero paced UST anew with his own double-double outing, delivering an all-around effort of 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Mig Pangilinan added 13 points in the losing end as UST sank further with a 1-10 slate in the standings, ending with another sorry season.