Ateneo-Philippines secured its fourth win in the 40th William Jones Cup after demolishing Lithuania, 98-65, on Friday at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.
With a dominant showing from start to finish, the Blue Eagles cruised through their third straight victory that moved them up to solo fourth place with a 4-2 record.
William Navarro shined with an all-around performance of 20 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
Angelo Kouame sparked Ateneo's huge third quarter surge, where he poured in 11 of his 19 points. In just 15 minutes of action, the big man scored multiple buckets in the paint that allowed the Blue Eagles to break away.
Ateneo went on a 20-point rampage midway though the period, holding the Lithuanians scoreless for roughly four minutes. The relentless Blue Eagles established a 34-point cushion, 68-34, which pushed their opponents away for good.
Zygimantas Jocys, who finished with 20 points including four triples, kept on fighting for Lithuania but the Blue Eagles were simply unstoppable. The reigning UAAP champions sustained their aggressiveness and never lost control of the game until the final buzzer.
Ateneo once again displayed brilliant defense, stealing the leather 27 times and forcing the Lithuanians to commit 32 turnovers.
The Blue Eagles have a tough battle ahead as they face the host team, Chinese-Taipei Blue, on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Scores:
Philippines 98 - Navarro 20, Kouame 19, Ravena 14, Nieto Mi. 10, Go 10, Asistio 8, White 6, Black 4, Nieto Ma. 3, Tio 3, Daves 1, Wong 0.
Lithuania 65 - Jocys 20, Motuzas 9, Norkus 9, Neimantas 8, Rimša 7, Sabecka 7, Paulauskas 5, Vazalis 0.
Quarterscores: 22-17, 41-28, 73-46, 98-65.