IN YET another dramatic and high-stakes war between longtime rivals, the Ateneo Blue Eagles missed their chance to clinch an outright Final Four berth, falling to the streaking De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 69-72. The Blue and White’s consequential University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 elimination round finale took place earlier tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
With the outcome, the Blue Eagles end the eliminations at 7-7 with the future of their season to be determined outside of their control. Meanwhile, the Green Archers have sealed a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals.
Joseph Obasa scored a game-high 21 markers, along with eight boards, two steals, and three blocks for Ateneo in a losing effort.
Season 86 MVP frontrunner Kevin Quiambao starred once again for the Green Archers with 14 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Quiambao’s frontcourt partner Michael Phillips also chipped in with a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double.
With heavy Final Four implications on the line, the rival squads wasted no time lighting up the floor in the first quarter. Right after tipoff, both teams’ offensive motors were already up and running as they exchanged early baskets. Ateneo’s Chris Koon and Kai Ballungay each drained a three-pointer while Quiambao and Phillips answered with baskets of their own. After a hustling Sean Quitevis layup, the Blue Eagles led by five halfway through the opening period, 13-8.
Wasting no time in retaliating, the Green Archers upped their tempo to provide them better looks in their attacks. As a result, Mark Nonoy’s triple and CJ Austria’s layup sparked a 6-0 DLSU run, bringing the team its first lead of the ball game, 14-13.
Despite DLSU’s mid-quarter scoring run, the Green Archers went cold for the remainder of the opening canto. Ateneo took advantage with their own 4-0 run off Obasa and Koon’s free-throws to finish the quarter back up, 17-13.
When star rookie Mason Amos first appeared at the eight-minute mark of the second quarter, the Blue Eagles’ offensive energy skyrocketed. The rookie forward immediately swished two treys within two minutes after subbing in to boost the Ateneo offense. With Ballungay contributing off a three-point play conversion, the Blue Eagles’ lead ballooned to five, 30-25.
As the game got scrappier midway through the second period, DLSU slowly went back to life. An overall team effort from Taft-based Nonoy, Quiambao, Raven Cortez, and Evan Nelle sparked a 10-2 run as they ended the opening half on a high, 35-32.
The onset of the second half started with a more blistering pace, featuring an exchange of baskets between Obasa and Quiambao that posted the game at a 38-42 Ateneo deficit with 7:21 left in the frame. Consequently, the third canto turned into yet another struggle for the Blue Eagles, as their shotmakers and ball-handlers started to get flustered due to DLSU’s ramped-up defensive effort. With momentum favoring their side, the Green Archers surged to a 48-38 lead and held the Blue Eagles scoreless for nearly four minutes.
However, unlike previous third-quarter meltdowns, Ateneo refused to go out silent, with highlight plays such as Amos’ four-point mak and Obasa’s ruthless alley-oop poster dunk giving signs of life. Likewise, Ateneo’s interior defense held off multiple close-ranged attempts by La Salle, which eventually made it manageable for the Blue Eagles with a five-point deficit heading into the final ten minutes of play.
Both fabled foes exchanged blows to open the final frame, with Phillips converting a tough and-one basket giving the Green Archers a six-point advantage with 7:17 remaining. This was swiftly countered by back-to-back buckets in the paint by Quitevis and Ballungay that drew Ateneo closer, 54-56, at the 6:29 mark.
Coming out of a timeout, La Salle buried two instant treys off consecutive sequences as an authoritative retaliation, putting Ateneo in a sudden 56-64 hole at the 5:04 point. In yet another perilous juncture, the Blue Eagles refused to let the game slip, responding with a fierce 9-2 counter run capped by Brown’s pull-up three—making it a 65-66 ballgame with 2:05 remaining.
Off a critical Ateneo turnover, the Green Archers weathered an erratic offensive sequence thanks to a bail-out Nelle floater to keep the Blue Eagles behind with 1:05 left, 65-68. The Blue Eagle defense absorbed another crushing blow not long after, leaving Phillips open on a drive that widened the Ateneo hole to 65-70 with 44 seconds left. A corner two by Koon and a costly La Salle crosscourt turnover gave the Blue Eagles a fighting chance with 30 seconds to go, but Brown misfired on his three-point attempt that would have tied the game at 70. Despite Phillips’ unproductive trip to the line in the game’s dying seconds, two previous Nelle free-throws were enough for La Salle to hold off Ateneo, 69-72.
Despite the loss, Ateneo Head Coach Tab Baldwin tipped his cap to his players’ efforts in playing quality basketball despite multiple runs by a formidable DLSU team.
“We executed well in those situations, we got shots for the right guy at the right time in the right spots on the floor. […] We played some smart basketball to bring that game back to a competitive game,” Baldwin said.
With Ateneo’s elimination round over with, the Blue Eagles will await the result of the Adamson University versus University of the East (UE) matchup tomorrow that will determine their Final Four fate. A win by the Soaring Falcons will force an Ateneo-Adamson play-off rubber match with the four seed at stake, while a UE victory would officially send the Blue Eagles into the Final Four.
Box scores:
Ateneo (69): Obasa – 21, Ballungay – 12, Amos – 10, Koon – 9, Quitevis – 4, Espinosa – 4, Credo – 4, Brown – 3, Lazaro – 2
DLSU (72): Quiambao – 14, Nelle – 10, Nonoy – 10, Phillips – 10, Policarpio – 9, Austria – 6, David – 6, Abadam – 4, Cortez – 2, Escandor – 1
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 17-14, 32-35, 46-51, 69-72
Current Standings (W-L)
- UP Fighting Maroons (11-2)
- DLSU Green Archers (11-3)
- NU Bulldogs (10-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (7-7)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (6-7)
- UE Red Warriors (4-9)
- FEU Tamaraws (3-11)
- UST Growling Tigers (2-12)
