SUMMARY
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Ateneo arranges finals rematch with UP off Adamson demolition
Ateneo easily bundled out surprise semifinalist Adamson, 81-60, to earn a shot at redemption in the UAAP men’s basketball finals.
The Blue Eagles dominated the game from the get-go to end the upset hopes of the Soaring Falcons, who crashed the Final Four after stunning La Salle in a playoff.
With the win, the Blue Eagles look to reclaim the crown from their finals tormentor last season – the UP Fighting Maroons who ousted the NU Bulldogs in the other semifinal duel.
Game 1 of the UP-Ateneo best-of-three title showdown unfolds at 6 pm on Sunday, December 11, at the Mall of Asia Arena. Check the finals schedule here.
Read the full story here.
Preview
After wrapping up the elimination round with an impressive six-game winning streak, the top-seeded Ateneo Blue Eagles now shoot for a sixth straight finals appearance when they face the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, December 7, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Interestingly, the Blue Eagles, who are equipped with a twice-to-beat playoff bonus, are coming off a 66-61 win over the Soaring Falcons in their final game of the second round, where big men Kai Ballungay and Ange Kouame showed the way with twin double-double performances.
Look for Ballungay and Kouame to once again flex their muscles down low against the smaller Adamson frontline, while also getting outside firepower from guards Forthsky Padrigao, Dave Ildefonso, and BJ Andrade.
Also expect collective effort on the defensive end from the Blue Eagles as they try to limit King Falcon and reigning UAAP Player of the Week Jerom Lastimosa, who is fresh from a 22-point explosion in Adamson’s 80-76 do-or-die playoff win over the La Salle Green Archers last Sunday.
On the other side, the Soaring Falcons will need the likes of Joshua Yerro, AP Manlapaz, and Lenda Douanga, among others, to step up anew and help their star point guard Lastimosa carry the scoring cudgels in their bid to pull off an upset and drag the Blue Eagles to a rubber match on Sunday, December 11.
Game time is 6 pm. – Rappler.com
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