THE ATENEO Blue Eagles’ search for its first win of the Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup continues as they succumbed to a 52-63 defeat to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers. Their second preseason game was held earlier today at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in the City of San Juan.
Leading the way for the Blue and White was Andrew Bongo, who scored 11 points on 66.7% shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Team Captain Chris Koon and rookie Kristian Porter contributed eight points apiece.
On the other hand, UST’s Peter Osang copped a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Leland Estacio chipped in 11 markers.
Both teams got off to a sloppy start in the opening salvo before Ateneo mounted a 5-0 run courtesy of buckets from Koon and Ian Espinosa. However, despite a string of offensive rebounds by the Katipunan-based squad, UST would go on a 10-0 counter run led by Estacio.
Midway through the quarter, the Blue Eagles and the Growling Tigers traded shots before Espinosa scored five straight markers to retake the lead for Ateneo, 13-12. After a 5-2 burst by the España-based unit, the Blue Eagles quickly responded with three-pointers from Bongo and Lebron Nieto to finish the first frame, 20-18.
Early into the second canto, Ateneo struggled to keep up with UST’s speed as the latter forced multiple missed field goal attempts, putting the Blue Eagles in a 20-25 deficit. After going scoreless in the first three and a half minutes, Porter sank two charities to quell the dry spell, 22-25.
Issues then resurfaced for Ateneo as they struggled with ball control and transition defense. Both squads would again trade baskets, but problems on the rebounding department continued to persist with UST ahead, 31-26. Josh Lazaro would have the final say for Ateneo, however, scoring a layup in transition to reduce the Growling Tigers’ lead to 28-31 at halftime.
Kicking off the third period, quick buckets from Osang and Nic Cabañero extended UST’s advantage, 35-28. Shortly after, Porter and Koon drew multiple fouls, sinking two free throws each to trim the deficit, 32-35. Another back-and-forth exchange by both squads then occurred before Kyle Paranada nailed UST’s first three-pointer of the game, forcing Ateneo to call for time, 36-40.
Off the huddle, the Blue Eagles got it going offensively with a corner three by Bongo and a layup by Shawn Tuaño to retake the lead, 42-40. With a few seconds left, Osang would give a timely lift for the Growling Tigers, with two baskets inside the paint to give UST a 46-44 lead heading into the final ten minutes of action.
In the final quarter, Kyle Ong led the charge for the Blue and White, nailing a layup in transition to cut the deficit to one, 46-47. Despite attempts to inch closer, UST’s stifling defense limited Ateneo to four points with over three minutes left in the contest, going on a 14-2 run in the process, 61-48. Looking to mount a comeback, Ateneo went on a 4-0 run, 52-61, but could not convert on their succeeding attempts as the game ended in favor of the España-based squad, 63-52.
Looking to bounce back, the Blue Eagles will face the National University Bulldogs on Thursday, May 30, at 3 PM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (52): Bongo – 11, Koon – 8, Porter – 8, Espinosa – 7, Nieto – 5, Lazaro – 4, Amos – 4, Tuaño – 3, Ong – 2
UST (63): Osang – 16, Estacio – 11, Danting – 7, Manaytay – 6, Paranada – 6, Cabañero – 6, Laure – 4, Padrigao – 3, Crisostomo – 2, Andrews – 2
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UST: 20-18, 28-31, 44-46, 52-63
Current Standings (W-L):
- UP Fighting Maroons (4-0)
- FEU Tamaraws (2-0)
- DLSU Green Archers (2-1)
- UE Red Warriors (2-2)
- UST Growling Tigers (2-2)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (1-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-2)
- NU Bulldogs (0-3)
