Ateneo de Manila University stayed spotless after escaping a gritty National University side, 74-64, in the UAAP Season 84 men's basketball tournament, Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Reyland Torres' three-pointer from the left-wing pulled the Bulldogs to within three with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter, 64-67.
But Dave Ildefonso drove to the basket and buried the layup on the other end before Gian Mamuyac and Raffy Verano drilled a three and a deuce, respectively, for a 74-64 Blue Eagles lead with just 1:06 to go.
“NU’s a good basketball team coming into this game,” said Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin. “I think we expected that but I’m not sure we respected that enough. There is still a lot of work for us to do. I’m delighted that we got the win because NU made us fight every inch for that win.”
Ange Kouame flirted with a triple-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds, and eight blocks for Ateneo.
Ildefonso topscored with 14 points and three assists, while SJ Belangel got 11 points and seven rebounds.
Ateneo cruised to 5-0 while NU slipped to 2-3, joint fifth with Far Eastern University and University of Santo Tomas.
Reyland Torres led the Bulldogs with 14 points while John Lloyd Clemente had 12 points on 14 shots, including a woeful 1-of-7 from deep.
Ateneo will next face the winless University of the East on Thursday at 4 pm. NU will look to return to .500 when it meets UST at 1 pm earlier that day.
The Scores:
ATENEO 74 -- Ildefonso 14, Kouame 12, Belangel 11, Tio 8, Mendoza 7, Verano 6, Mamuyac 6, Chiu 5, Koon 4, Andrade 1, Lazaro 0, Padrigao 0.
NU 64 -- Torres 14, Clemente 12, Felicilda 10, Malonzo 6, Ildefonso 5, Yu 5, Manansala 4, Figueroa 2, Joson 2, Enriquez 2, Galinato 2, Minerva 0, Tibayan 0, Gaye 0, Mahinay 0.
Quarters: 20-14, 41-33, 58-50, 74-64.