No sweep as De La Salle hands Ateneo first loss
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
THE semifinal round of Season 80 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) will be a normal Final Four format as the defending champions De La Salle Green Archers derailed the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ sweep bid yesterday with a 79-76 win on the final play date of the classification phase at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With the Eagles just a victory away from sweeping the elimination round and earning a direct pass to the final, the Archers made sure such would not be consummated, digging deep and coming up big down the stretch to hand Ateneo its first defeat of the season and forcing a Final Four setup with them having a twice-to-beat advantage instead of a stepladder.