THE ATENEO Blue Eagles bowed to home crowd favorites Hakuoh University Soldiers, 58-73, in the 2023 World University Basketball Series (WUBS) semifinals, Saturday, at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
With the loss, Ateneo will not be able to defend their WUBS Championship that they won last year.
After opening the WUBS tourney with an 88-50 demolition of The University of Sydney Lions, Ateneo could not keep up the momentum as they got outclassed by the Soldiers on both ends of the floor.
The Blue and White kickstarted the ballgame with gritty defense from athletic wingers Chris Koon and Jason Credo which led to a quick 8-0 run midway through the opening quarter to put them ahead, 10-5. However, Hakuoh immediately found an answer through Masahiro Waki, who led the offensive charge that cut the Blue Eagles’ lead to two points at the end of the first period, 18-16.
With Ateneo’s pace slowing down at the start of the second quarter, the Soldiers took advantage and stole the momentum from the Philippine-based team as Waki and Ryusei Sato constantly drained their wide-open shots. Hakuoh’s consistent outside shooting put them up six minutes into the second period, 28-23.
On the offensive end, the Blue Eagles struggled to capitalize on their height advantage, as they were forced to settle for contested shots from the perimeter. Despite the Soldiers threatening to pull away, back-to-back treys from Gab Gomez and Jared Brown’s playmaking helped Ateneo claw back into the game, cutting the deficit to two at the first half buzzer, 33-35.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Blue Eagles faced another Hakuoh three-point barrage as Waki and Sato’s hot shooting continued. Ateneo tried alleviating this by resorting to putting more pressure on the Soldiers’ star players. Both squads went back-and-forth in the remainder of the third quarter with no squad taking a firm hold of the match as the Blue and White trailed by just three, 40-43.
Heading into the final frame, the Blue Eagles failed to break down the Soldiers’ pressure defense as they continued to see tough looks from the perimeter. Moreover, five Blue Eagles got into foul trouble, resulting in the Blue and White struggling to keep up with Hakuoh down the stretch. Translating their stifling defense into offense, the Japanese collegiate runners-up finally pulled away midway through the last period thanks to continuous smooth shooting by Waki and Sato, as well as strong inside plays by foreign student-athlete Joel Monga, 60-48.
The reigning University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) champions’ efforts to come from behind fell short as off-shooting nights from reliable performers Kai Ballungay and Mason Amos ultimately led to the Blue Eagles’ downfall, 58-73.
No Blue Eagle scored in double digits, with 2022 WUBS MVP Ballungay finishing with only nine points and five rebounds. Joseph Obasa pitched in with eight markers and five boards of his own in a losing effort.
The Blue Eagles heavily suffered from the Soldiers’ tough pressure defense which proved to be a key point of improvement for the defending champs heading into the UAAP season.
Waiting for the Blue Eagles in the bronze medal match are US National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Big South Conference third placers Radford University Highlanders, who suffered a huge upset loss against the National Chengchi University Griffins earlier this afternoon.
Quarter Scores:
18-16, 33-35, 40-43, 58-73
