IN A classic example of a tale of two halves, the Ateneo Blue Eagles got the shorter end of the stick as a second half collapse saw them bow to the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 71-74. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 First Round matchup was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

With today’s defeat, the Blue and White slide to a 1-2 slate which currently places the Katipunan-based team at sixth in the standings.

Eli Ramos, Ced Manzano, and Vince Magbuhos combined for 33 points to lead the way for the Soaring Falcons. The trio collectively shot at an efficient 14/26 from the field.

Mason Amos led the Blue Eagles with 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists in a losing effort. Kai Ballungay pitched in with 10 markers, nine boards, three dimes, and three steals while being a +12 in an all-around game.

Coming from a good fourth-quarter shooting display versus the De La Salle University Green Archers, the Blue Eagles did not take their feet off the pedal, as they remained hot from beyond the arc. Gab Gomez and Lebron Nieto combined for three treys in the first two minutes to catapult Ateneo into an early 9-0 lead.

With momentum on their side early in the game, the Blue Eagles’ shooting confidence rose high as Nieto, Gomez, and Mason Amos would each drill two threes to continue the  rally. The shooting barrage resulted in a lopsided 25-9 advantage for Ateneo at the end of the first period.

Ateneo attempted to maintain the same positive output on both ends of the floor in the second quarter, but defensive lapses and sloppy turnovers prevented them from running away with the game from the onset. However, Ateneo’s bigger frontcourt allowed them to gain more wiggle room, as Ballungay and Joseph Obasa’s presence inside provided the team with a 23-10 rebounding advantage over Adamson at the half. The tall trees of Ateneo gave themselves a 44-29 cushion heading into intermission. 

With the help of the bigs crashing the boards and the guards’ consistent outside shooting, the Blue Eagles were able to weather the mini runs that the Soaring Falcons were threatening to make. The Katipunan-based team shot at an incredibly high clip of 10 of 15 from deep with Nieto, Gomez, Amos, and Jared Brown combining for nine of those 10 triples.

Banking on their renewed sense of urgency, the rejuvenated Soaring Falcons came out the halftime break by dominating on both ends of the court. The San Marcelino-based squad proceeded to go on an 8-0 run by capitalizing on Ateneo’s turnovers and offensive errors. Despite a brief attempt to stop the bleeding halfway through the quarter, the Blue and White were simply overwhelmed by Adamson’s excellent ball movement and suffocating defense. As the momentum completely shifted to the side of the Soaring Falcons, the Nash Racela-mentored squad managed to hold the Blue Eagles to just nine points to end the frame with only a five point deficit, 48-53.

Following an Obasa rejection to kick-off the fourth period, the Blue Eagles answered Hanapi’s eurostep conversion with seven straight points, capped off with a huge triple from Ballungay to force an Adamson timeout, 60-50. However, this would be Ateneo’s final run of the match, as Manzano and Ramos combined for eight points in the last four minutes of the quarter to cut the Blue Eagles’ lead down to three, 69-66. 

With 29 seconds remaining in regulation, rookie Matthew Montebon managed to knock down a bomb from beyond the arc to even the game at 69-all. A shot clock violation on the side of Ateneo and a missed potential game winning layup by Adamson concluded the final seconds of regulation as both teams headed into overtime.

Coming off an overtime affair in their previous bout against UST, the Soaring Falcons leaned on their recent experience playing past regulation throughout the extra canto. A quick midrange jumper by Koon at the start of the final five minutes gave hope for the tides to return in the Blue Eagles’ favor. However, this was answered shortly after by a crafty layup by Manzano to force another deadlock, 71-71. With both sides locking down on defense, the overtime thriller came down to the final 24 seconds with the score remaining tied at 71.

With Adamson in the penalty, a foul by Joshua Yerro gave Ateneo an opportunity to ice the game at the line. However, luck was not on the side of the Katipunan-based cagers as Amos failed to make both of his charities. After a couple of empty possessions, the Soaring Falcons found themselves with one last chance to snatch the victory and complete their incredible comeback. With three seconds left, Magbuhos topped off his birthday performance by sending Ateneo home with a walk-off, buzzer-beating triple, 74-71, reminiscent of their victory over the same adversary during the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup.

When asked about the mental fortitude it takes to bounce back from a loss similar to today’s second half meltdown, Head Coach Tab Baldwin noted that the team still has a long way to go in terms of building their culture and buying into their collective system.

“There’s an actual mental process where you say ‘this is what I want and this is who I want to be,’ in the context of a team. We have players who are still going through this process, and that story is much longer and deeper than what I said,” Baldwin shared.

The Blue Eagles will look to bounce back from their stunning overtime loss, as they face the UE Red Warriors on Wednesday, 1:00 PM at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Box scores:

Ateneo (71): Amos – 12, Ballungay – 10, Koon – 9, Nieto – 9, Obasa – 8, Bongo – 6, Brown – 6, Gomez – 6, Credo – 2, Gomez – 2, Quitevis – 1

AdU (74): Manzano – 12, Ramos – 12, Magbuhos – 11, Hanapi – 9, Yerro – 8, Calisay – 5, Montebon – 5, Colonia – 4, Anabo – 3, Erolon – 3, Sabandal – 2

Quarter scores: 

Ateneo-AdU: 25-9, 44-29, 53-48, 69-69, 71-74 (OT)