The Ateneo Blue Eagles are back in the UAAP finals. Arvin Lim, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) For the third season in a row, the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles are going to the UAAP finals.

The Blue Eagles dismantled Far Eastern University (FEU), 80-61, in their UAAP Season 81 Final 4 showdown on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum to book their ticket to the best-of-3 championship series.

Thirdy Ravena set the tone of the game as he scored six of Ateneo's first eight points, including back-to-back slam dunks in transition, to push the Blue Eagles to an 8-0 advantage.

The defending champions never looked back from there, and steadily poured it on against the Tamaraws, who never got going in the game.

This marks the third year in a row that Ateneo will play in the Finals. They lost to De La Salle University in Season 79, before getting their revenge against the Green Archers in Season 80 for their first UAAP title in five years.

Ravena finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, before fouling out with 3:32 left to play. Angelo Kouame, who memorably had 33 points and 27 rebounds in a rout of FEU in the second round, had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks in their Final 4 match-up.

"We knew that coming into the game, we're up against a tough FEU team who had two great wins against Adamson and against La Salle," said Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga.

"So we wanted to make sure that from the start, especially on the defensive end, we're locked in. We recognized their key players, who we wanted to defend and take out of their game," he added.

Ateneo surged to a 17-9 advantage at the end of the opening frame, with Ravena already scoring 8 points. The Blue Eagles held the Tamaraws to just three field goals in the first quarter.

FEU found some rhythm in the second period, but had no answer for Ravena who picked apart their defense. He assisted on a triple to Mike Nieto, and a transition bucket to Matt Nieto to give Ateneo a 36-19 advantage late. The Tamaraws ended the first half on a strong note, with buckets from LJ Gonzales and Prince Orizu, but Ateneo was well in control, 38-24, at the break.

The Blue Eagles showed no mercy as they opened the third quarter with 15 straight points. To make matters worse for FEU, Alec Stockton was thrown out at the 7:12 mark of the period after he was caught hitting Ravena.

Ravena coolly made two free throws, then made the most of the bonus possession as he knocked down a triple. It took until the 5:23 mark of the third before FEU ended the drought, with two charities from Richard Escoto.

Ateneo grabbed its biggest lead at 31 points, 59-31, thanks to yet another three-pointer from Ravena. FEU ended the frame on a 9-0 run, but the Blue Eagles were still comfortably ahead, 59-36.

Even when Ravena fouled out with 3:32 left, the Blue Eagles were barely bothered. Only late buckets RJ Ramirez, Jasper Parker, and the graduating Axel Inigo made the final score appear closer.

"We got off to a good start, and we were able to sustain it," said Arespacochaga. "We wanted to make sure that there would be no dips in our performance."

Barkley Ebona, one of the heroes in FEU's win over La Salle in the semifinal playoff, had 9 points to lead the Tamaraws. Ramirez and Orizu each had 7 points, while Arvin Tolentino -- who nailed the game-winner against La Salle just last Wednesday -- was limited to just 5 points.

FEU, as a team, shot only 31.51% from the field, including only 4-of-26 from beyond the arc.

Ateneo knocked down 41.43% of their shots, and had a 50-43 advantage on the glass.

The Blue Eagles will play either University of the Philippines or Adamson University. The Fighting Maroons and the Soaring Falcons figure in a do-or-die game on Wednesday at the Big Dome.

The scores:

ATENEO 80 – Ravena 22, Kouame 18, Verano 7, Nieto Ma 6, Go 6, Nieto Mi 5, Belangel 4, Mamuyac 3, Asistio 3, Mendoza 3, Black 2, Tio 1, Wong 0, Navarro 0, Daves 0, Andrade 0

FEU 61 – Ebona 9, Orizu 7, Ramirez 7, Gonzales 6, Inigo 5, Tolentino 5, Stockton 5, Tuffin 4, Parker 4, Escoto 4, Comboy 3, Cani 2, Bienes 0, Bayquin 0, Jopia 0, Nunag 0

Quarter scores: 17-9, 38-24, 59-36, 80-61.

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