A 24-7 third quarter run lifted the Ateneo Blue Eagles to their second straight 2023 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup win in a decisive 73-56 blowout of the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors. The Blue and White’s first of three games in a three-day span was played earlier this afternoon at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in the City of San Juan.
Looking to conclude their preseason campaign on a high note, the Blue Eagles tightened their grip on Bracket B’s eighth seed with a 2-5 record courtesy of today’s result. Big man Joseph Obasa was at the helm of the win, notching a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Kai Ballungay led Ateneo’s scoring workload with 15 points.
Ateneo’s offense was stagnant to open the contest beyond Ballungay’s production, falling to a 5-13 hole after a Welo Lingo-Lingo perimeter jumper at the 5:35 mark. With a string of defensive stops and a pair of triples from Jason Credo and Lebron Nieto, the Blue Eagles managed to cut the deficit, 13-15, with 1:25 to play in the opening canto. Despite the early eight-point hole, the Blue and White ended the quarter ahead 17-15 after a 12-2 blast by Ateneo to help carry momentum into the second.
The Katipunan-based squad built off their strong end to the previous frame by converting high quality two-point looks in the second, until Red Warriors guard Noy Remogat deadlocked the game at 19-apiece with 8:53 left. Remogat then rode his offensive surge throughout the quarter—responding to an Obasa dunk by scoring his 11th first-half point with a three, tying the game at 27-27 with six minutes remaining in the second. In response to the Red Warriors’ high-volume scoring, the Blue Eagles heightened their physicality by hounding UE’s ballhandlers with the full-court press. The scrappy back-and-forth quarter finished in Ateneo’s favor, 37-35, with a combined 25 first-half fouls being committed by both ball clubs.
At the opening moments of the third quarter, UE was forced to call a quick timeout at the 8:47 mark after Obasa’s ferocious block and his second-chance cleanup stretched the lead, 41-35. The Blue Eagles’ lead further swelled to 57-40 with 2:42 remaining as they continued to feast on smaller matchups in a game that saw them outrebound UE, 50-27. Coach Tab Baldwin’s squad also neutralized the Red Warriors’ leading first-half scorer in Remogat, leaving him scoreless in a one-sided quarter that concluded with Ateneo up, 61-42.
The Blue Eagles continued their dominant display of basketball, pushing their lead to 70-49 before a scuffle between Ian Espinosa and Rey Maga momentarily disrupted play. Ateneo marched towards the end of the quarter, 73-56, concluding its winless run against their University Athletic Association of the Philippines counterparts in the preseason tournament.
“We got on the offensive boards much better, [which is what] we talked about [doing] before the game. It didn’t happen in the first half, so they came out of the third quarter rebounding the ball really well, and that had an impact on the game,” Baldwin said of the Blue Eagles’ pivotal halftime recalibrations on the glass.
Looking to bag its third straight win, Ateneo will play Bracket B’s lowest-seeded FAITH Bravehearts tomorrow, 2:00 PM at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (73): Ballungay – 15, Obasa – 14, Lazaro – 9, Quitevis – 6, Gomez – 6, Credo – 5, Tuano – 5, Nieto – 4, Espinosa – 3, Padrigao – 3, Chiu – 2, Ong – 1
UE (56): Remogat – 13, Sawat – 10, Alcantara – 8, Rosete – 8, Lingo-Lingo – 6, J. Dumont-Cruz – 5, Gilbuena – 3, Galang – 3
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UE: 17-15, 37-35, 61-42, 73-56
