More Ateneo vs La Salle Game 2 photos here

Ateneo de Manila University demolished arch-rivals De La Salle University for the second time this season via a 79-62 scoreline in the 74th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball wars on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Former San Beda Red Cub Nico Salva topped the leaderboards with 19 points. Blue-chip rookie Kiefer Ravena and point guard Emman Monfort both put up 13 points each while Tonino Gonzaga contributed a career-high of 12 points.

For the Green and White five, Rookie Arnold Van Opstal led the scoring with 13 points. Almond Vosotros and Oda Tampus both had 9 while Norbert Torres scored 8 points.

After a promising first half where La Salle was only down by 5 at 31-26, things eventually took a turn for the worse as Ateneo rapidly increased their lead. The Archers struggled in vain to catch up but the Eagles always remained one step ahead.

Atrocious shooting plagued the Archers, who made only 11.1% of their 3-point attempts and 45.5% of their freethrows. They fared only slightly better than the Eagles in their 2-point field goals, with 50%.

On the other hand, Ateneo made 27.3% of their 3-point shots and 48.1% of their 2-point field goals. They made 81.8% of their free throws, missing only 4 compared to La Salle’s 12.

The Katipunan-based Blue Eagles need only three wins to seal the first Finals seat and a chance to nab their fourth consecutive title.

BOX SCORES
ATENEO (79): Salva 19, Ravena 13, Monfort 13, Gonzaga 12, Slaughter 8, Chua 7, Long 6, Tiongson 1, Erram 0, Sumalinog 0, Golla 0, Austria 0
DE LA SALLE (62): Van Opstal 13, Vosotros 9, Tampus 9, Torres 8, Revilla 6, Villanueva 6, Atkins 4, Dela Paz 3, Paredes 2, Webb 2, Gotladera 0, Mendoza 0, Marata 0
Quarters: 14-11, 31-26, 53-42, 79-62