UAAP: Ateneo bucks slow start, dominates 2nd half to fend off UST

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles survived a slow start and turned on the jets in the second half to take down the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, 72-55, in the ongoing UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament last November 17, 2022.

After going down 3-10 in the first five minutes of the first quarter, the Blue Eagles suddenly flipped the switch and countered with a 19-0 run to end the first 10 minutes with a 22-10 lead.

BJ Andrade was firing from all cylinders and kicked off a personal scoring party to electrify the Ateneo fans in attendance at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

After hitting the first three-pointer for the Blue Eagles, Andrade followed it up with a strong hoop plus a foul to extend Ateneo’s lead to eight points with 50 seconds left in the first quarter.

UST’s Nic Cabañero willed his team in the second quarter and scored much-needed baskets that trimmed Ateneo’s lead to single digits at the end of the first half, 35-27.

Ateneo smelled blood early in the third frame as their well-oiled offensive executions picked the Growling Tigers apart.

The Blue Eagles’ signature crisp passing did wonders in the second half and helped them push their lead to as much as 18 points after a Forthsky Padrigao trey, 45-27.

UST mounted one last offensive rally that cut the Blue Eagles’ lead to 12 points, 64-52, with 2:42 remaining in the game but Ange Kouame silenced the Growling Tigers’ crowd after burying the clutch shots that pulled them away for good.

Andrade and Kouame led the blue and white nation with 14 points apiece while leading Ateneo to their second win in a row.

Upcoming guard Padrigao also delivered for head coach Tab Baldwin and stuffed the stat sheets with an all=around performance of 10 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Meanwhile, Cabañero, UST’s main gunner, scored a game-high 26-points alongside eight rebounds and seven assists but still wasn’t enough to contain the balanced attack of the Blue Eagles.

Ateneo will have the chance to clinch their third-straight win on November 17 when they take on the FEU Tamaraws while the Growling Tigers aim to break their skid against the NU Bulldogs.