WHILE STRIVING to turn their fortunes around, the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ quest to reach the playoffs surged in difficulty during the third day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 3×3 Basketball Tournament. All games took place at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in the City of Parañaque.
The Men’s team found themselves out of playoff contention after back-to-back losses against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons and De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers. On the flip side, the Women’s team had mixed results after dropping their first game of the day against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons but then finishing their day with a win against the DLSU Lady Archers.
UAAP S86 Women’s Most Valuable Player Kacey Dela Rosa led her squad throughout the day, tallying a cumulative 19 points and seven rebounds. For the Men’s side, Andre Tan displayed a commendable showing with a total of 11 markers in two games.
Women’s Tournament
Commencing today’s set of games, the AWBT failed to build a winning streak against their Katipunan counterparts. Despite Kacey Dela Rosa’s paint dominance, UP’s defense prohibited Ateneo from getting production elsewhere. The Atenean stalwart scored eight out of Ateneo’s 12 points. Meanwhile, the Maroons balanced attack was led by Kaye Pesquera’s eight points and Christie Bariquit’s seven points.
Shooting a higher field goal percentage at 42.9%, the Blue Eagles remained competitive in the early parts of the game. However, their inability to protect the ball and grab rebounds proved costly. Ateneo committed nine turnovers while giving up 11 offensive rebounds that turned into easy second-chance points. Capitalizing on Ateneo’s miscommunication errors, UP went on a scoring run to break the game wide open, 22-12.
Bouncing back from a tough defeat, Ateneo came out sharper in their match against DLSU. Utilizing her height advantage, Dela Rosa continued to succeed in the interior, posting 11 points. Meanwhile, Junize Calago displayed her intelligent playmaking abilities, contributing with five points and three assists.
Although sustaining a lead throughout the game, the Katipunan-based unit found themselves in a back and forth battle with their archrivals in the last few minutes. Leading DLSU with seven points, Ann Mendoza scored baskets that applied the pressure on the Blue Eagles.
However, sparked by a Calago layup and Dela Rosa’s three-point play off an offensive rebound, Ateneo regained the momentum. Nursing a three-point lead, the Blue and White played tight defense to secure a stop, subsequently claiming their second win of the season, 17-14.
“Sinabi ng mga coaches, pagbutihin sa defense. Wala na kaming ibibigay kung ‘di pa namin ibigay (The coaches said to do better on defense. We won’t be able to give anything anymore if we don’t give it our all),” Dela Rosa expressed, asked about the adjustments of her team after their struggles on day one.
Men’s Tournament
At the outset of their day, the Blue Eagles suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Adamson, 14-21. Soaring Falcons Ray Torres and Manu Anabo proved to be a troublesome shooting duo for the Loyola-Heights-based squad, scoring a combined total of 16 points during the game.
However, Ateneo began the game with a four-point lead, thanks to offensive production from Andre Tan and Javi Adevoso, 10-6. Undeterred, Adamson clawed their way back into the match by showcasing a strong inside game en route to a decisive 21-14 victory.
Later on, the classic Green and Blue matchup ended with a lopsided victory in favor of the Archers. Although tenacity was demonstrated on the hardwood, the Blue Eagles managed a troublesome 5.6% success rate from the perimeter. This allowed DLSU to run away with a commanding 13-point advantage, resulting in a 9-21 defeat for the Blue and White.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles will return to the court one last time tomorrow for the final round of the tournament. The Men’s Team looks to capture their first victory against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, whereas the Women’s Team will try to end their preliminary round run on a high with a win against the Adamson University Lady Falcons.
All games will be held tomorrow starting at 11:40 AM in the same venue.
Women’s Standings (W-L)
- UST Lady Tigresses (6-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (5-1)
- ADU Lady Falcons (4-2)
- DLSU Lady Archers (3-3)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-4)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (1-5)
- UE Lady Warriors (1-5)
Men’s Standings (W-L)
- DLSU Green Archers (6-0)
- UE Red Warriors (4-2)
- NU Bulldogs (4-2)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (4-2)
- UST Growling Tigers (3-3)
- FEU Tamaraws (2-4)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-5)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-6)
