HARDSHIPS CONTINUED for the Ateneo Blue Eagles as they fell to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in a tight 75-82 loss yesterday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in the City of San Juan. This setback puts the Blue and White at a 0-5 win-loss record in their Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup campaign.
Leading the Blue Eagles in this Battle of Katipunan affair was Andrew Bongo, who had 16 points on 66% shooting from the field. Shawn Tuano and Mason Amos also scored in double figures with 14 and 10, respectively. For the Diliman-based squad, JD Cagulangan and Aldous Torculas steered their team with 16 and 14 markers, respectively.
Charging with a collective offensive showcase, the Blue and White blazed to a 13-2 run in the first five minutes that included a Jared Bahay contested triple over UP’s Cagulangan. However, Ateneo’s aggression cooled down as they failed to keep hold of their advantage, allowing the top-seeded Fighting Maroons to storm back with a 12-1 burst to tie the ballgame at 14-14. After losing the early lead, a goaltending call in favor of Ateneo helped them stay within a two-possession deficit, 18-22.
Despite their poor end to the first frame, the Loyola Heights-based squad remained within striking distance via seven points from Bongo that kept them within four, 26-30. Building on his team’s momentum, Amos knocked down a long-distance shot to enter a deadlock at 30-all with four minutes remaining in the canto. Both Katipunan tenants continued exchanging haymakers, with two charity conversions by Co-Captain Chris Koon ending the quarter at a stalemate, 39-39.
At the onset of the third period, Bongo continued his stellar performance, producing six early points to help the Blue Eagles take a 46-43 advantage. Despite their strong start to the second half, a number of unforced turnovers by Ateneo allowed UP to cop easy layups, 49-55. The Blue and White kept fighting, with an Ian Espinosa jumper capping an 11-5 run by Ateneo that put them in the driver’s seat, 60-59. However, UP’s paint defense and the Blue Eagles’ sloppy passing resulted in yet another Fighting Maroons counter run that put Ateneo down, 60-63.
As the final frame went underway, the Blue Eagles kept close with gritty stops on UP’s Kingsley Ududo and timely buckets from Koon and Bahay, tying the game at 68 with five minutes remaining. Even with this positive swing, Ateneo’s ball security woes allowed the Fighting Maroons to score eight straight to take a comfortable 76-68 lead with four minutes left. Remaining undeterred, the Blue Eagles clawed back with a Tuano putback lay-in—cutting their deficit to two, 74-76, with 2:45 left. However, this comeback effort by Ateneo would go awry as they failed to contain Francis Lopez and Ududo in the final minutes, yielding the contest, 75-82.
Looking to end their losing streak, the Blue Eagles will face the De La Salle University Green Archers in their penultimate Filoil contest later at 5:00 PM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (75): Bongo – 16, Tuano – 14, Amos – 10, Espinosa – 9, Bahay – 8, Porter – 7, Koon – 6, Quitevis – 3, Lazaro – 2
UP (82): Cagulangan – 16, Ududo – 15, Torculas – 14, Lopez – 8, Alter – 7, Alarcon – 5, Bayla – 5, Torres – 4, Belmonte – 3, Briones – 3, Walker – 2
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UP: 18-22, 39-39, 60-63, 75-82
Current Standings (W–L):
- UP Fighting Maroons (6–0)
- DLSU Green Archers (3–1)
- FEU Tamaraws (3–1)
- UE Red Warriors (3–3)
- UST Growling Tigers (2–3)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2–3)
- NU Bulldogs (1–4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0–5)
