DESPITE A late comeback attempt, the Ateneo Blue Eagles ran out of steam in overtime and faltered to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 61-66. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 First Round matchup was held earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
With today’s defeat, the Blue and White dip to a 2-3 slate, which currently places the Katipunan-based squad at sixth place in the standings.
LJay Gonzales led the way for the Tamaraws with a game-high 21 points off a 53% shooting clip, while Xyrus Torres and Pat Sleat chipped in 13 and nine markers respectively.
On the other hand, Jared Brown proved to be a bright spot for Ateneo, as the rookie guard notched 18 points while shooting 44% from beyond the arc in a losing effort.
The Blue Eagles came out of the gates up and gunning, getting off to a quick 8-0 run with four of their five starters pitching in early buckets. However, the Katipunan-based cagers would end up in a dry spell right after, allowing FEU to respond with a 13-3 run of their own, capped off by a Gonzales and-one conversion. Following a buzzer-beating three-pointer to take the lead, the Tamaraws ended up on top after the opening canto, 13-11.
With FEU charging into the second frame, Ateneo remained silent until Kai Ballungay finally found the bottom of the net halfway through the quarter, 14-19. With little resistance from the Blue Eagles, the Recto-based squad managed to extend their advantage to as big as six with a nifty scoop layup from Gonzales, forcing Ateneo to call for time, 21-27.
Reignited from their huddle with Coach Tab Baldwin, the Blue Eagles trimmed their deficit with help from sharpshooter Brown, whose timely baskets brought the Blue and White to within three points from the Tamaraws, 24-27. Despite Ballungay aiding Ateneo’s comeback bid with a deuce to cut the FEU lead down to two, a crafty layup from Gonzales kept the Blue Eagles at bay to close out the first half, 30-26.
The Tamaraws opened the second half with a three-pointer from Gonzales to stave off the trailing Blue Eagles from the get-go. Ateneo responded with their own conversion from deep as they swung the rock for their offense, 29-33. Both teams stayed trading baskets and would find themselves where they left off as the deficit remained at four after Amos’s trip to the foul line, 34-38. FEU then found its momentum from its stingy defense to counter the Blue and White’s free-flowing ball movement.
With the defending champions struggling to find their footing on the offensive end, the Green and Yellow squad took advantage of Ateneo’s mishaps by drilling seven unanswered buckets. It was only until the Blue Eagles’ last possession of the third quarter that Lebron Nieto fired a three from way beyond the arc to prevent the squad from entering the final quarter down double-digits, 37-45.
FEU entered the final quarter guns blazing, replicating their run from the previous canto. Bagunu dazzled the crowd with a smooth eurostep to force a frustrated Ateneo into calling a quick breather, 37-52.
With their backs against the wall, the Blue Eagles willed themselves back into the ballgame as they regained their footing on the offensive end. The starters from the rejuvenated squad sparked an 18-4 run as FEU cooled off from the perimeter, cutting the lead to only one, 55-56, with less than a minute to play.
The Tamaraws finished its final possession with Mouhamed Faty splitting his charity line shots. Ateneo team captain Chris Koon then nailed both of his freebies after getting hacked inside to send the resilient squad into another overtime thriller, 57-57.
As Ateneo found themselves on the opposite end of a familiar situation, the troop drew first blood, courtesy of Brown’s drive to the lane, to give Ateneo the first lead in overtime. The Tamaraws continued their offensive woes, as they broke their cold streak after almost six scoreless minutes, 59-59.
As the pressure mounted for both teams by the dying seconds, veteran guard Gonzales stepped up to the moment, swishing two straight step-back daggers to put the nail in the coffin for the Blue Eagles, 63-59. After a couple of intentional fouls, Ateneo kneeled to the winless Tamaraws, serving them their first win of the season, 61-65.
The Blue Eagles hope to encounter a different scenario from a winless team as they face UST Growling Tigers on Wednesday, 10:00 AM at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Box scores:
Ateneo (61): Brown – 18, Ballungay – 12, Espinosa – 8, Koon – 8, Nieto – 3, Amos – 2, Bongo – 2, Credo – 2, Gomez – 2, Lazaro – 2, Obasa – 2
FEU (66): Gonzales – 21, Torres – 13, Sleat – 9, Tempra – 8, Alforque – 4, Bagunu – 4, Competente – 4, Ona – 2, Faty – 1
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-FEU: 11-13, 26-30, 53-48, 69-69, 71-74 (OT)
