By CARLO ANOLIN
Ateneo proved too classy for University of Santo Tomas, scoring a ho-hum 101-51 win and clinching the first semis berth in the UAAP Season 84 Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Blue Eagles started like a house on fire, posting a lead as many as 25 points early through the hot hands of Joshua Lazaro, Raffy Verano, Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, and SJ Belangel.
They were much smarter and deadlier in the third as they almost doubled their lead behind another offensive spurt on the way to handing the Espana-based squad its worst beating since the computerization of stats in 2003.
League statistician Pong Ducanes said Ateneo’s 50-point win eclipsed La Salle’s 43-point rout (99-56) of UST on October 23, 2016.
The Tigers were only limited to eight points in the first quarter and continued to struggle from the field, shooting only nine of their 31 attempts (29 percent) after halftime.
“I think the difference in the scoreline is a reflection that our coaching staff asked for 40 minutes of performance from our players, and that’s something that’s plagued us this year,” said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.
The Eagles, who are four wins away from yet another elimination sweep, also notched their 36th straight win since October 2018 to barge into the Final Four for the seventh straight time.
Verano led Ateneo’s well-balanced attack with 18 points on an 8-of-12 shooting along with seven rebounds while five other Eagles scored in double digits.
Belangel posted 16 points built on five triples to go with five assists, and three rebounds, Geo Chiu registered 14 points and eight rebounds, Lazaro chalked up 12 points and seven rebounds, Ildefonso added 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Kouame had 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
The Tigers, for their part, slipped to seventh place with a 3-7 record.
The scores:
ATENEO 101 ˗ Verano 18, Belangel 16, Chiu 14, Lazaro 12, Ildefonso 11, Kouame 10, Koon 9, Andrade 6, Padrigao 5, Mamuyac 0, Tio 0, Gomez 0, Daves 0.
UST 51 ˗ Cabanero 18, Manaytay 9, Fontanilla 8, Manalang 7, Concepcion 5, Yongco 2, Santos 2, Ando 0, Herrera 0, Gomez de Liano 0, Garing 0, Mantua 0, Pangilinan 0.
Quarters: 22-8, 46-21, 80-36, 101-51.
