THE ATENEO Blue Eagles fumbled their highly competitive matchup against the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 74-78, on Wednesday night, November 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
A poor showing in the second quarter proved fatal for Coach Tab Baldwin’s team as the Blue Eagles (5-3) lost in their second-round opener of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85. The Bulldogs (6-3) now stand in solo second place of the standings after dealing Ateneo’s third crucial loss in the highly competitive league.
An inspired BJ Andrade led the Katipunan-based squad with his 21 points, most of which were scored in the third quarter. However, he had little help from his usually consistent fellow starters Ange Kouame and Forthsky Padrigao. Reigning MVP Kouame was a shell of himself this game, only scoring two points against the strong and stifling Bulldog frontcourt. NU’s high jumper Jolo Manansala proved too much for the Blue Eagles as he put up a gritty double-double consisting of 17 points and 11 rebounds, with seven of those boards coming from offensive rebounds.
For much of the first quarter, neither Ateneo nor NU could muster up enough momentum to pull away from the opposing team. The two teams traded blows until Ateneo’s Padrigao checked out with an apparent injury. In his absence, Gab Gomez and Chris Koon gave Ateneo a much-needed boost with seven combined points in the quarter. Padrigao eventually checked back in to help secure a six-point lead for Ateneo at the end of the quarter, 20-14.
The Bulldogs raised the defensive intensity in the second quarter and prevented the Blue and White from scoring a single field goal until the four-minute mark of the quarter, 26-27. Turnovers plagued the entire Ateneo squad as the NU side hounded the ball, resulting in 18 turnovers by the Blue Eagles that were converted to 16 points. The Bulldogs outscored Ateneo 27-9 in the second frame, allowing a double-digit lead by NU at halftime, 29-41.
Ateneo came out of halftime determined to get themselves back in the ballgame. On the back of eight straight points from Andrade, Ateneo managed to quickly cut the NU lead to single digits. The boys in blue outscored NU in the third quarter, 28-15, taking the lead heading into the final frame, 57-56.
Despite Ateneo’s efforts to retake the momentum, NU prevented the comeback in stride and kept their composure during the fourth quarter. Led by Manansala off the bench, the Bulldogs got the lead back from Ateneo and fended off any opportunity for them to regain back much ground. NU’s stifling defense was compounded by costly Ateneo turnovers down the stretch, which culminated in a high-stakes error off the inbound in the final seconds of the match. After getting outscored 17-22 in the fourth, Ateneo’s comeback ultimately fell short at the end, 74-78.
The Blue Eagles look to regroup and make adjustments before their next game against archrivals De La Salle University Green Archers at 6:30 PM on Saturday, November 5, at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Box Scores:
Ateneo (74): Andrade – 21, Ballungay – 15, Ildefonso – 14, Garcia – 6, Koon – 4, Lazaro – 4, Chiu – 3, Gomez – 3, Padrigao – 2, Kouame – 2
NU (78): Manansala – 17, Baclaan – 10, Clemente – 9, John – 8, Malonzo – 7, Minerva – 6, Enriquez – 5, Yu – 4, Palacielo – 4, Figueroa – 3, Galinato – 3, Mahinay – 2
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-NU: 20-14, 9-27, 28-15, 17-22
