MANILA – Ateneo Blue Eagles leaned on rookie Angelo Kouame in overtime to beat De La Salle University Green Archers 81-75 in the FilOil Flying V Premier Cup at the San Juan Arena.
After the team ended the regulation 71-all, Green Archers gained the early lead 75-73 on baskets by Jollo Go. Kouame then scored 6 straight points for Blue Eagles to surge for good.
Kouame finished the Tuesday night match with 16 points – 8 coming in the extension period – for Blue Eagles, which ended the elimination round with a perfect 9-0 win-loss slate.
Ilonggo Thirdy Ravena led Ateneo with 17 points while George Go contributed 10 markers. Blue Eagles will have a lengthy break before plunging back to the playoff on June 28.
But Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin was less than satisfied.
“I don’t really have a lot to say about it. I thought it wasn’t a great game,” he said. “It might have been entertaining. I thought La Salle probably played with a bit more grit and a bit more toughness than we did.”
Leonard Santillan topped La Salle (7-2) with 19 points and nine rebounds. Justine Baltazar had double-double 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Meanwhile Gilas Pilipinas ended its campaign with an 82-69 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals. Matt Nieto led Gilas (4-5) with 15 points.
“The biggest lesson we learned is that we cannot rely on our individual talent,” said Gilas head coach Joseph Uichico. “We did not play well today as a team, and it was the players’ individual talent that carried us.”/PN