THE ATENEO Blue Eagles stumbled in the first assignment of their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 title defense, succumbing to the National University (NU) Bulldogs in a lopsided 64-77 blowout. The 12-time champions played in the latter half of the collegiate league’s opening day double-header earlier this afternoon at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.
Gab Gomez shined for the Blue and White despite the tough loss, as he scored 12 points and hit three triples on an efficient 50% shooting from the field. Team Captain Sean Quitevis also chipped in 12 points of his own along with two steals.
In the first few minutes following tip-off, the revamped Blue Eagle starting five generated its offense from what the defense gave them. A number of high-quality drives to the basket and an open Sean Quitevis trey gave Ateneo a 9-6 lead at the 6:52 mark. Despite a decent start, defensive problems killed Ateneo’s momentum—as NU’s Jake Figueroa and Kean Baclaan attacked the rack at a high and productive rate. Figueroa’s seventh first-quarter point elevated NU to a furious 9-0 run, forcing Ateneo Head Coach Tab Baldwin to burn a timeout with 5:27 to go. Little came out of the huddle, as the Blue Eagles continuously struggled at defending the paint and produced a mere six points to end the quarter trailing, 15-23.
The defending champions’ proven veterans injected much-needed life into the rookie-laden unit at the onset of the second quarter, as they enabled the team to run the floor more effectively. With Ateneo’s quicker pace allowing for more offensive opportunities, a pair of Gab Gomez triples and a Josh Lazaro middy helped the Katipunan-based squad storm back to tie the contest with 6:20 left in the half, 25-25. While it was the Blue Eagles’ heightened defensive effort that helped them get back in the game, mid-quarter substitutions led to a resurfacing of Ateneo’s defensive woes in the interior. The Blue Eagles were stunned anew by the Bulldogs’ uptake on close-range field goals and offensive boards, ending the half down 32-36.
Ateneo’s offensive engine largely ran dry in the third quarter, with the Blue and White failing to make a single field goal until Andrew Bongo’s middy that cut the NU lead to 34-40 with 6:52 left in the frame. The Katipunan-based squad uncharacteristically converted open shot attempts at an abysmal rate, as several airballed layups and threes deflated the Baldwin-coached team’s comeback bid. Despite a nightmare third quarter, a nice dime from Joe Obasa to a cutting Mason Amos in Ateneo’s last possession gave them signs of life, as they stared down a 47-55 deficit with the final frame on deck.
In spite of an optimistic end to the third, the Blue Eagles got ravaged by an NU fourth-quarter onslaught that buried them in a deep 20-point hole. The final ten minutes were a culmination of Ateneo’s struggles in a game that saw them thoroughly outscored in the paint, 24-38. Aside from a lackluster showing by the Ateneo backcourt, offensive cogs in Kai Ballungay and Mason Amos shot a combined 1/10 clip in a 64-77 setback.
Ateneo will look to avoid a 0-2 hole when they face fabled rivals De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers on Wednesday, 6:00 PM at the MOA Arena.
