DIFFICULTIES PERSISTED for the Ateneo Blue Eagles following a 64–66 loss to the National University (NU) Bulldogs in the Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup tournament. Today’s contest was held at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in the City of San Juan.
Andrew Bongo led the charge for the Blue Eagles, tallying 18 points and nine rebounds in the game. On the other side of the court, NU’s John Figueroa shined with 16 points at a 54% field goal efficiency.
The first quarter began as a back-and-forth affair with both teams exchanging jump shots, 9–9, until NU shattered the standstill off impeccable drives to the basket, 15–11. As NU’s Ian Manansala shot from beyond the arc, the Blue Eagles ended the opening salvo facing a five-point disadvantage, 13–18.
With Ateneo being unable to find their stride in the paint, the Bulldogs stretched their lead even further, 30–20. Nonetheless, the Blue Eagles eventually broke through the Bulldogs’ defense courtesy of Lebron Nieto and Shawn Tuano’s inside game, 27–30. With the tempo now on their side, Ateneo prevented NU from blowing the game wide open, ending the first half with a manageable six-point deficit, 30–36.
From down six, Ateneo finally matched the Bulldogs’ attacks in the third canto to make it a one-possession ballgame, 37–39. Even with NU’s newfound attempts to widen the gap, Blue Eagles Mason Amos and Kyle Ong reduced the Ermita-based squad’s lead to four by identifying open lanes to the basket in the penultimate quarter, 41–45.
Ateneo continued their tempo in the final quarter, scoring three consecutive baskets to trim the deficit to one, 49–50. With Ateneo finally knocking on their doorstep, NU fired back with two big baskets to maintain their lead, 54–50. Despite attempts to catch up, the Blue Eagles could not match the Bulldogs’ scoring prowess, 54–57, resulting in them bracing for a loss. However, with three seconds left, Ian Espinosa nailed a heroic shot above the break to send the game into overtime, 57–57.
In overtime, the Blue Eagles and Bulldogs traded blows, forcing a 64-all tie. Amid the deadlock, NU’s Figueroa connected on a clutch floater with only seven seconds left on the clock for a 66–64 advantage. With the game on the line, Nieto missed a game-winning three, rendering Ateneo’s comeback attempt futile. The loss brought the Katipunan-based squad’s record down to 0–3 for the tournament.
Seeking to finally enter the win column, the Blue Eagles will strive to defeat the Far Eastern University Tamaraws tomorrow, 5 PM at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (64): Bongo – 18, Espinosa – 12, Amos – 7, Quitevis – 4, Tuano – 4, Lazaro – 4, Ebdane – 4, Ong -4, Reyes – 3, Nieto – 2, Porter – 2
NU (66): Figueroa – 16, Manansala – 16, Perciano – 6, Enriquez – 5, Jumamoy – 5, Santiago – 4, Padrones – 2, Yu – 2, Reyes – 2, Francisco – 2, Garcia – 2, Dela Cruz – 2, John – 2
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-NU: 18-13, 30-36, 41-45, 57-57, 64-66.
Current Standings (W-L):
- UP Fighting Maroons (4-0)
- FEU Tamaraws (2-0)
- DLSU Green Archers (2-1)
- UST Growling Tigers (2-2)
- UE Red Warriors (2-3)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (1-3)
- NU Bulldogs (1-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-3)
