It was a highly tense affair that saw numerous skirmishes occur, including one in the second period that saw assistant coaches from both squads get ejected from the match. However, when the dust settled, it was all Ateneo de Cebu as they kept their composure all through the match to come away with the dominant victory.
The Magis Eagles can capture their second straight title with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday afternoon.
Ateneo de Cebu got off to a strong start and led 21-9 after the first period. The second was where things got heated as CBSAA coaches took exception to an Ateneo de Cebu player encroaching in their huddle. Some pushing and shoving occurred between coaches and players before cooler heads prevailed.
Despite the extracurricular activities, the Magis Eagles came away with a 37-17 lead at halftime as they held the Trailblazers to 6-of-36 shooting in the first 20 minutes of play. Ateneo de Cebu extended their lead to a high of 28, 45-17, after a corner triple by Michael Asoro.
The Trailblazers showed signs of life as they pulled to within 18, 34-52, but the Magis Eagles responded with three straight trifectas from Rafael Arradaza and Bahay to extend their lead to 61-34.
The loss was CBSAA’s first of the tournament. They were riding a 10-game winning streak heading to Game 1.