STRUGGLING IN their defense and offense throughout the match, the Ateneo Blue Eagles fell short in their fourth quarter come-from-behind rally, suffering their third loss of the season–a 10-point triumph, 76-66, for the National University (NU) Bulldogs–yesterday, August 24, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Similar to their first meeting, NU began a run with consecutive attacks to the basket by Glen Khobutin, Gelo Alolino and Paolo Javelona, which marked a six-point lead early in the quarter, 8-2.
Alfonso Gotladera attempted to stop this streak for the Blue Eagles but missed both of his free throws, leading to his substitution out of the game. Javelona’s triple and Alolino’s jumper added to the lead for the Bulldogs, 15-2.
Ateneo’s offensive drought was put to a stop by a point in the paint by Gboy Babilonia. However, Khobutin, Alolino, and Rosario landed a jumper, a three-point shot and a lay-up, respectively, cementing their 18-point lead, 22-4, against the Blue Eagles with less than three minutes in the first quarter.
This 9-0 run by the Bulldogs was halted by a Kiefer Ravena’s jumper. In the closing minutes of the period, Nico Elorde’s drive to the basket and Ravena’s three-point play cut the lead into 11.
Jess Diputado breaks this run but Elorde retaliates and gets fouled beyond the three-point arc in the last few seconds. He sank all free throws and ended the first period with a 24-14 scoring.
Ateneo remained in a deep hole in the second quarter as NU’s Alfred Aroga executed a number of timely blocks. This defensive feat was supported by consistent scoring of Diputado, Rosario and a few of their bench players. The Blue Eagles trailed by as much as 17 points in the quarter, 42-25.
Ateneo shooters Von Pessumal and Ravena, on the other hand, continued to struggle from the perimeter, contributing only three field goals combined in the quarter. Chris Newsome managed to cut the deficit into 12 by sinking in a triple and finishing a fast break bucket, reaching a half time score of 42-30.
Alolino started the third with a drive to the basket, again achieving an 18-point margin, NU’s biggest lead in the game. The Blue Eagles executed different plays inside and outside the box, incurring free throw opportunities, but the Bulldogs constantly answered with a basket of their own each time. The exchange continued on the rest of the quarter, allowing NU to maintain a significant lead, leaving the third with 60-47.
Down by 13 points with a period to go, the Ateneo crowd stood up and began chanting their cheers to boost the Blue Eagles for a final rally. This proved helpful as Gotladera fought for baskets in the paint, making a 7-0 run, cutting the lead to five in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. The momentum was stopped by Alolino’s layup followed by Rosario’s jumper and free throws and Aroga’s floater. NU’s string of baskets led to a score of 68-55 with four minutes left in the game.
NU’s main scorers took advantage of the offensive damage, creating more scoring opportunities in the closing minutes. Refusing to end the game without a fight, Newsome continuously drove strong to the basket, getting three fouls but missing both free throws in the last. Pessumal also nailed consecutive threes only in the last minute. Their late-game surge proved to be too little, too late, sealing the match with a final score of 76-66.
In this game, Ateneo had trouble in their offense, shooting only 23 out of 69 attempted field goals compared to NU’s 32 of 62. Almost one-third of the Blue Eagles’ points were earned on the free throw line, making 17 out of the 25.
Meanwhile, NU maximized their bench players, garnering a total of 26 bench points compared to Ateneo’s 10. The Bulldogs also proved effective in their defensive stops, with Aroga and Joel Betayene accomplishing a total of 10 blocks in the entire bout.
With this result, Ateneo fell to second place in the overall standings, tied with NU at a 7-3 win-loss card.
The Blue Eagles hope to avenge their loss as they face University of Santo Tomas Tigers on Saturday, August 30, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
THE SCORES:
ATENEO – Ravena 18, Newsome 12, Gotladera 11, Pessumal 8, Elorde 7, Capacio 4, Babilonia 4, Doliguez 2
NU – Aroga 15, Rosario, 14, Alolino 14, Javelona 12, Khobuntin 11, Diputado 6, Alejandro 3, Neypes 2
