SEEMINGLY peaking of late, the Ateneo Blue Eagles try to continue to put further wind on their assault for number two as they battle defending champions and currently second-running Far Eastern University Tamaraws today in midweek action in Season 79 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
Winners of their last three games, the Eagles (7-4) go for four wins in a row in their 2 p.m. tiff against the Tamaraws (8-3) and challenge the latter for the number spot and the twice-to-beat advantage that goes with it in the Final Four.
After losing back-to-back midstream in the tournament, Ateneo has racked up three straight victories to put renewed fervor in their campaign.
The last of the Eagles’ wins came at the expense of rivals De La Salle Green Archers (12-1) last Saturday, 83-71, that effectively derailed the Archers’ bid for a sweep of the elimination round.
Ateneo banked on a total team effort to get the better of erstwhile invincible La Salle and exact payback on the Archers for the first-round defeat they dealt to the team.
Aaron Black came off the bench to lead the Eagles with 16 points with Matt Nieto adding 15.
Guards Adrian Wong and Anton Asistio had 11 and nine points, respectively, while rookie Isaac Go had 10 and did his part, along with the other Ateneo big men, in controlling La Salle center Ben Mbala.
For his splendid performance in the La Salle game, Black, son of champion UAAP and Philippine Basketball Association coach Norman, was named player of the week.
Black’s return to the lineup after spending some time in sick bay is a welcome development for Ateneo and something it hopes would help its campaign in the windup of the elimination round and moving forward.
“We are very happy with the win but we don’t want to go much beyond that. We still have a huge game against FEU on Wednesday and we have to come down from the clouds and be ready to play,” said Ateneo Coach Tab Baldwin after their win over La Salle.
FEU, for its part, saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end last time around after bowing to the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 61-59.
Apart from getting back on the winning track, the Tamaraws are out to create some distance still with the Eagles and position themselves better for number two.
Veteran Raymar Jose is pacing FEU’s title defense with averages of 11.8 points and 11.1 assists.
Meanwhile, in the second game at 4 p.m., Adamson (6-5) goes for an outright semifinal spot against already-eliminated University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers (3-10).