Ateneo clinches Final Four, eliminates UE in OT; La Salle bolsters semis bid at NU's expense

Ateneo de Manila University officially clinched a Final Four spot in UAAP Season 85 after outlasting University of the East in overtime, 69-66, in UAAP Season 85 on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Kai Ballungay had 14 points and seven rebounds, while Dave Ildefonso and Ange Kouame posted double-double performances as Ildefonso notched 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds and Kouame tallied 12 markers and 12 boards.

Rey Remogat led UE with 21 points in the loss which eliminated them from Final Four contention.

Meanwhile, De La Salle University bolstered its Final Four bid campaign after an upset against National University, 63-58, to improve to 6-6.

University of the Philippines, on the other hand, clinched a twice-to-beat advantage after defeating University of Santo Tomas, 78-60.

To cap the quadruple-header, Adamson University survived Far Eastern University, 75-70, after the Soaring Falcons led 27-4 at the end of the first period.

With the loss, the Tamaraws have been eliminated from the Final Four for the first time since 2012.

UP remained at the top of the standings with 11-2, with Ateneo (9-3) and NU (9-4) behind. La Salle and Adamson were the only two teams remaining in contention for the last Final Four spot after both teams ended up with 6-6. UE and FEU went down to 4-9, while UST has not yet won since their opening day victory.

UAAP action will be back on Saturday with UP and Ateneo playing the 6:30 p.m. highlight game.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News