Playing like a well-oiled machine, the Ateneo-Philippines squad got off to a roaring start in the 40th William Jones Cup in an 87-64 rout of Chinese Taipei-White on Sunday at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Thirdy Ravena had 17 points, seven rebounds, and three steals while center Angelo Kouame manned the paint with a double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Blue Eagles.
Ateneo, the only collegiate contingent in the nine-team tournament, used its team chemistry to outplay its opponent. The reigning UAAP champions collected 16 assists and only committed 11 turnovers in the lopsided contest. Isaac Go and Jolo Mendoza combined for 21 points.
The turning point of the game was a 22-13 second quarter push by the Blue Eagles. Five 3-pointers in the period gave Ateneo a 15-point lead at halftime.
Chinese Taipei stayed within striking distance thanks to Chun-Chi Lin's 15 points, but he did most of his damage in the first half and sputtered in the second. Oscar Kao proved to be a spark plug off the bench by putting up 16 points, including two 3s.
The home team tried multiple times to mount a comeback, but Ateneo kept its foot on the gas pedal, refusing to relinquish the lead. It also didn't help that Chinese Taipei was held to just 27.3 percent from two-point range.
A 3-pointer by Mendoza ballooned the lead to 23 points with two minutes remaining -- removing any doubt of a Philippine victory.
Ateneo will face Korea Monday, July 16.
THE SCORES
Ateneo-Philippines 87 - Ravena 17, Kouame 15, Mendoza 11, Go 10, Nieto Ma. 8, Verano 8, Mamuyac 4, Tio 4, Asistio 3, Nieto Mi. 3, Black 2, Navarro 2.
Chinese-Taipei B 64 - Kao 16, Lin C 15, Lin T 12, Chen K 8, Chen Y 7, Wang 3, Wu 2, Chien 1, Lai 0, Lu 0, Sun 0, Hsu 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20, 48-33, 67-52, 87-64.