Asistio, Wong lead the way as Eagles rout Warriors

The Ateneo Blue Eagles limited the UE Red Warriors to just nine points in the opening period to earn an 84-69 victory on Saturday at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

Anton Asistio tallied his career-high 21 points, setting the tone early for the Eagles with nine points in the first period alone. Adrian Wong chipped in 17, while Chi Ikeh and Mike Nieto added 11 points each. The Eagles won the game without Aaron Black, while Thirdy Ravena only managed seven markers.

The Eagles established a 20-9 edge at the end of the first quarter, before UE found a way to grab a 32-30 lead at the half.

After the break, Ateneo went to Chi Ikeh and Mike Nieto for eight points each to double UE's production in the third, 28-14. Heading into the final turn, the Eagles were ahead, 58-46.

It was all about lead management from then on for the Katipunan-based squad, with Matt Nieto, Asistio, and Wong stringing 19 of the team's 26 points in the final 10 minutes en route to victory.

Alvin Pasaol led UE with 22 points, 10 of it coming in the final period. Bonbon Batiller was the only other Warrior in double figures with 11.

Ateneo shot 48 percent from the field. They also forced UE to commit 38 fouls for 52 freethrow attempts. The Eagles then converted on 35 of their chances from the stripe. UE, meanwhile, settled for a 30-percent overall clip, with a sour 13 percent clip from the threepoint area. —ALG, GMA News