Ateneo rips UST, completes perfect season for UAAP 3-peat

Ateneo stars Isaac Go and Thirdy Ravena box out UST center Soulemane Chabi Yo. Zeke Alonzo

The Ateneo Blue Eagles have completed a perfect season, dispatching University of Santo Tomas, 86-79, on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena to clinch their third straight UAAP men's basketball championship.

The Blue Eagles rolled through the elimination round of Season 82 with a 14-0 record, gaining early entry into the finals.

Ateneo rolled through the title series with back-to-back wins over the Growling Tigers to put the finishing touches on their campaign. The Blue Eagles won the series opener, 91-77.

The Katipunan side remained dominant early in their final assignment, taking a 42-32 lead at halftime.

Ateneo was still up, 54-41, when the Growling Tigers caught fire, roaring back behind the hot shooting hands of Rhenz Abando. Rookie of the Year Mark Nonoy converted on a three-point play to come within a basket, 62-60, with a minute left in the third quarter.

UST inched further closer, 67-66, on an acrobatic drive by CJ Cansino with less than eight minutes remaining in the fourth period.

But Ateneo responded with blistering 16-5 run behind SJ Belanguel, Thirdy Ravena, and Ange Kouame to push the lead back up, 83-71, with less than three minutes left.

Ateneo has now won three titles in four years, under former national coach Tab Baldwin, who has engineered the return to dominance of the Blue Eagles basketball program.

Interestingly, UST was the last school to pull of a sweep to win the title in Season 56 in 1993, behind legends Dennis Espino and Rey Evangelista. UAAP rules at the time meant the Growling Tigers won the title outright after a 14-0 elimination round sweep. —JST, GMA News