IN THEIR Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup opener, the Ateneo Blue Eagles succumbed to the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons in a 59-61 heartbreaker yesterday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in the City of San Juan.
Spearheading the Blue and White was Team Captain Chris Koon who bagged 18 points on 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Shawn Tuano was the only other Blue Eagle who scored in double digits with his 13-point output. In their winning effort, meanwhile, Adamson’s Cedrick Manzano and Manu Anabo led their team with 12 and 10 points respectively.
Kicking off their preseason stint, Ateneo immediately took control against Adamson with back-to-back long-distance buckets from Koon and Tuano, 6-0. The Blue Eagles packed the pressure on the Soaring Falcons with great defensive sequences, forcing nine straight missed field goal attempts. Keeping their momentum rolling, Ateneo extended their lead to eleven, 14-3, thanks to strong team efficiency from the field.
The midpoint of the first quarter saw issues surface for the Blue Eagles, as they struggled with ball security and transition defense. The Soaring Falcons capitalized on Ateneo’s mishaps and responded with an 8-2 run to draw within five, 11-16. Both squads would continue to trade shots, until Lebron Nieto’s mid-range jumper gave the momentum back to the Blue and White to end the frame, 23-14.
The Katipunan-based squad displayed their balanced offense in the second canto getting contributions from veterans Josh Lazaro, Koon, and Tuano. Rookies Michael Asoro and Kristian Porter then aided in maintaining the lead as the period went on, with the latter’s three-pointer keeping Ateneo ahead, 36-25. As the half came to a close, Adamson’s Eli Ramos and Anthony Fransman answered back with two late buckets to bring their team back to within single digits, 29-36.
The onset of the third quarter mirrored that of the first, as it was once again the long-range heroics of Koon and Tuano that gave Ateneo their biggest lead of the game, 45-31. However, costly turnovers by the Katipunan-based squad allowed Adamson to mount an 11-5 run to cut Ateneo’s advantage at the end of the frame, 50-42.
Failing to stall AdU’s momentum, the Blue Eagles allowed a quick 8-0 blitz at the start of the fourth, eventually tying the contest at 50-all. To stop the bleeding, Koon and Porter headlined a 9-2 counter-run to give the Blue Eagles a 59-52 cushion with three minutes remaining. Despite the contest being nearly out of reach, sloppy defensive efforts by Ateneo gave way for the Ermita-based squad to furiously retaliate with an eight-point run capped by a pair of Manzano layups to take a slim 60-59 lead.
With an opportunity to either tie the game or take the lead with 30 seconds remaining, attempts from Sean Quitevis, Koon, and Porter missed the mark, forcing Ateneo to foul with 11 seconds left.
After Adamson’s Anabo split his charities, the Blue Eagles once again turned to Koon’s shot creation. However, the sharpshooting forward’s game-saving attempt hit the front iron due to AdU’s commendable defensive stand. Despite this, the Blue and White gained another opportunity as an officiating error kept the possession on the Atenean side with a second left. One final mid-range prayer by Tuano would go awry as the Blue Eagles eventually surrendered, 59-61.
Looking to get on the win column, the Blue Eagles will face the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers next Monday, May 27, at 3:00 PM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (59): Koon – 18, Tuano – 13, Nieto – 7, Espinosa – 6, Porter – 5, Lazaro – 4, Asoro – 4, Ong – 2
AdU (61): Manzano – 12, Anabo – 10, Mantua – 9, Mudianga – 7, Fransman – 6, Alexander – 5, Ramos – 4, Calisay – 4, Ronzone – 2, Cañete – 2
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 23-14, 36-29, 50-42, 59-61
Current Standings (W-L):
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-0)
- FEU Tamaraws (2-0)
- DLSU Green Archers (2-1)
- UE Red Warriors (2-2)
- UST Growling Tigers (1-2)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (1-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-1)
- NU Bulldogs (0-2)
