MANILA, Philippines – Defending champion Ateneo needed an extra game, but the Blue Eagles still kept their UAAP Final Four streak intact.

Ateneo reached the semifinals for the ninth straight time after thwarting Adamson, 70-48, in their playoff for the last Final Four berth in the Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, November 22.

Jared Brown presided over a sizzling opening quarter and finished with 20 points on a 4-of-7 clip from three-point land as the Blue Eagles steered clear of missing the semifinals for the first time since Season 76 in 2013.

Brown drained a pair of triples in an 8-0 start and Ateneo never looked back on the way to arranging a Final Four clash with top seed UP in a rematch of the finals of the last two seasons on Saturday, November 25.

Sean Quitevis backstopped Brown with 11 points, while Mason Amos added 10 points for the Blue Eagles, who grabbed a 24-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter and propped up a lead as big as 25 points.

The Soaring Falcons went on a 6-0 blitz in the third quarter to cut their deficit to 54-39, but Ateneo answered with a 13-3 run bridging the last two periods for its biggest lead of the game at 67-42.

Kai Balunggay stuffed the stat sheet for the Blue Eagles with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, while Joseph Obasa dominated the boards with a game-high 16 rebounds to go with 4 points and 2 blocks.

Shooting a dismal 29% from the field, Adamson bled for its scoring with no Falcons player in double-digit scoring as it suffered the most lopsided loss in a UAAP playoff.

Matt Erolon topscored for Adamson with 9 points, while Didat Hanapi and Jhon Arthur Calisay tallied 8 and 5 points, respectively.

The defeat marked the swan song of Falcons star Jerom Lastimosa, who suited up despite sustaining a season-ending knee injury.

Lastimosa saw action for over two minutes and scored 3 points as he sank a triple at the buzzer that determined the final tally.

The Scores

 Ateneo 70 – Brown 20, Quitevis 11, Amos 10, Ballungay 7, Bongo 4, Obasa 4, Koon 3, Nieto 3, Credo 3, Espinosa 3, Lazaro 2, Chiu 0, Gamber 0, Tuano 0.

AdU 48 – Erolon 9, Hanapi 8, Calisay 5, Manzano 4, Yerro 4, Montebon 4, Sabandal 4, Magbuhos 3, Lastimosa 3, Barasi 2, Ramos 2, Colonia 0, Ojarikre 0, Cañete 0, Barcelona 0, Anabo 0.

Quarters: 24-15, 40-25, 56-39, 70-48.

– Rappler.com