THE ATENEO Blue Eagles dropped their second straight game in the 2023 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup after falling to the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 69-76, earlier this 4:00 PM, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in the City of San Juan.
With this loss, the Blue and White remain at ninth place with a 0-2 win-loss record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) bracket.
Rising rookie Jared Brown led the Blue Eagles in scoring with 13 points to go along with his three rebounds in 17 minutes of action, while Kai Ballungay and Jason Credo dropped 10 markers each. However, Ateneo struggled with their shots overall as they only shot 36% from the field and 51% from the free throw line.
NU’s second-year guard Kean Baclaan left his mark early in the first quarter, scoring nine points in only five minutes of play. Baclaan’s impressive play aided NU in taking control of the match early as he helped NU gain a 10-point lead against Ateneo, 8-18. Foul trouble for Joseph Obasa forced Ateneo to sub the big man out which resulted in Ateneo’s vulnerable defense in the paint. Off the bench, rookie guard Brown helped Ateneo recover from the early deficit, scoring seven points in the quarter to cut the lead to two to end the quarter, 18-20.
The match turned more physical in the second quarter, causing frustrations for the Blue and White. Three technical fouls were called on Ateneo which led to the ejection of Head Coach Tab Baldwin. In his absence, the Blue Eagles struggled to find answers for the hot shooting of Baclaan, who torched Ateneo into a 33-44 deficit heading into halftime.
Ateneo then regained their composure after the break as they were motivated to cut down the double-digit deficit. The Blue Eagle veterans led the way in the third quarter as Kai Ballungay, Geo Chiu, and Forthsky Padrigao mustered up a 13-2 run to tie the game, 52-52. A fast break layup from Paul Garcia gave Ateneo the lead at 56-54, but the reinsertion of Baclaan into the game helped shift the momentum back in favor of the Bulldogs. A buzzer-beater three-pointer from Baclaan helped NU end the third quarter strong and retain the lead heading into the final frame, 60-57.
The Blue Eagles were unsuccessful in taking the lead back in the fourth quarter as NU’s backcourt play continued to give Ateneo problems. Baclaan and former NU Bullpups standout Reinhard Jumamoy combined for nine points early in the quarter to increase the lead to eight, 69-61. With Ateneo playing catchup once more, they were unable to bridge the gap a second time as NU eventually emerged victorious, 76-69.
Despite his 13-point outing, Brown shared his thoughts on how the Blue Eagles hope to find their rhythm as the preseason progresses. “It always sucks when you don’t get the win, but we’re just trying to get things going. We’re just taking it one game at a time,” he said. “We’ll get back to work tomorrow, and just prepare the best that we can.”
The Blue and White hope to get back on track and capture their first win of the preseason in their next matchup against rivals De La Salle University Green Archers on Sunday, May 28, at 4:00 PM at the same venue.
