MANILA – Ateneo Blue Eagles clipped Adamson University Falcons, 80-74, to clinch at least a playoff for a Final Four seat in the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ilonggo Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III posted season-high 23 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds.
With the win on Wednesday night, the defending champions Blue Eagles rose to a9-0 win-loss slate. It got a warm up ahead of their clash with rival De La Salle University Green Archers on Sunday.
William Navarro and Mike Nieto tallied 11 markers each while Matthew Daves chipped in career-high 10 points and six rebounds.
Leading by as much as 15 points at 67-52 with over eight minutes left, the Blue Eagles saw the Falcons trim the deficit down to three, 77-74, courtesy of a Joshua Yerro lay-up with 8.9 seconds left.
The Blue Eagles, however, displayed experience with defensive stops before Nieto and Adrian Wong converted three free throws to iced the victory for Ateneo.
“We really survived Adamson in the end,” said Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin. “We made a lot of bonehead plays. There’s no excuse for that. We have to practice those kinds of situations.”
Valandre Chauca and Jerrick Ahanmisi both had 17 points in the losing cause for the Falcons, which incurred its fourth straight loss to drop to a 3-6 win-loss card./PN
