IN ANOTHER heartbreaking loss, the Ateneo Blue Eagles folded under pressure against the then-winless Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in overtime, 65-66. Ateneo played their fifth game of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 tournament earlier tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Tonight’s loss dealt the sixth-seeded Ateneo a 1-4 win-loss record in the elimination round for the first time since Season 76. The setback is also the Blue and White’s unprecedented third consecutive loss to the Tamaraws dating back to Season 86. On the other hand, the result marked FEU’s first win in the season.
Team Co-Captain Chris Koon led Ateneo in scoring with 12 points, while the young Cebuano duo of Jared Bahay and Kristian Porter were the only other Blue Eagles in double digits with 11 markers each.
The game started with the Tamaraws looking comfortable, as Veejay Pre and Royce Alforque set the tempo by attacking Ateneo in the paint with multiple layups both in transition and the half-court. Meanwhile, the Blue Eagle offense struggled to execute their plays early as they fell into a 4-14 deficit.
In the latter part of the first quarter, Ateneo started to wax hot from three, going on a 9-2 run courtesy of Koon and Kyle Gamber, 13-16. Despite their textbook marksmanship, the Blue and White’s vulnerable interior defense forced them to commit multiple fouls, allowing FEU to make seven first-quarter free throws to stay ahead by five, 19-14.
The Loyola Heights-based squad continued to shoot threes at a stellar rate in the second canto, ending the half with eight made attempts. Ateneo also started to tighten their defensive efforts, locking down FEU’s pace, perimeter shooting, and half-court offense. Prized rookie Jared Bahay then took matters into his own hands, unleashing a five-point barrage to tie the game at 25 apiece.
Ateneo closed out the half by finally taking control of the ballgame, with their defense only allowing two more FEU points in the last three minutes. Koon continued to maintain his form from deep with his third triple finally giving Ateneo the advantage, 28-25. Josh Lazaro’s four-point flurry further secured control of the lead at the end of the quarter, giving the Blue Eagles a five-point cushion, 32-27.
Stepping out of the dugout, the Blue Eagles found great difficulty in penetrating the Tamaraws’ interior defense due to Mohamed Konateh’s imposing presence in the paint. Despite this, Ateneo still prevented FEU from drilling a single three while padding seven consecutive points to secure a 41-31 cushion.
Nonetheless, the Tamaraws repeatedly pummeled the Blue and White inside the paint, sparking a 9-0 run to cut the lead to a single point, 41-40. Ateneo’s chronic second-half shooting woes also emerged alongside FEU’s run, with the former failing to connect seven free throws and seven field goals in a row until the end of the frame.
The final frame transformed into a heated standstill between both squads at the charity stripe, with the Tamaraws holding a precarious two-point lead, 46-44. However, the game’s momentum further swung to FEU’s side when Jorick Bautista buried a clutch trey midway through the fourth, 49-44, serving as the Tamaraws’ first-ever make from outside the arc in the entire game.
With the game winding down, Ateneo had to face the possible reality of a loss against the 0-5 Tamaraws. However, in a gutsy stretch for the young Blue Eagles, Team Co-Captain Sean Quitevis and Bahay knocked down bigtime baskets to tie the game with one and a half minutes remaining, 51-51.
Unfortunately, even with the floor set for the Blue Eagles after consecutive FEU misses, Porter crumbled against the mounting pressure, missing three consecutive go-ahead threes—one being in the dying seconds of regulation.
Although Porter quickly made amends with his three at the start of overtime, 54-51, Bautista struck the Blue and White with his two-point bombs to give a narrow lead to FEU, 57-54. Ateneo responded to Bautista’s stellar sequence with critical free throw makes, but the Tamaraws raged on with their point-blank drives in offense, 61-57.
Despite smothering defense on Bautista, the Blue Eagles were ravaged by the FEU guard’s mid-range onslaught, as he scored eight big points in the overtime period to keep Ateneo at bay. The Tab Baldwin-coached squad’s desperate comeback attempt ended in futility as Porter and Shawn Tuano’s threes became mere consolation buckets in FEU’s thriller victory, 66-65.
The loss continued to be a theme of Ateneo’s Season 87 struggles, losing the rebound battle 42 to 56 and shooting 28% from the field compared to FEU’s 38.7%. Despite the loss, the Blue and White found form from deep compared to the Tamaraws, making 13 compared to FEU’s meager one.
The Blue and White seek to bounce back from the deflating loss as they face the University of the East Red Warriors this Wednesday, October 2, at 6:30 PM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (65): Koon – 12, Bahay – 11, Porter – 11, Quitevis – 9, Tuano – 6, Lazaro – 6, Gamber – 6, Espinosa – 3, Balogun – 1, Bongo – 0, Ong – 0, Espina – 0
FEU (66): Bautista – 18, Alforque – 12, Konateh – 10, Pasaol – 10, Pre – 10, Montemayor – 4, Daa – 2, Ona – 0, Nakai – 0, Bagunu – 0, Jones – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-FEU: 14-19, 32-27, 41-40, 51-51, 66-65
Current Standings (W-L):
- UP Fighting Maroons (5-0)
- DLSU Green Archers (5-1)
- UST Growling Tigers (3-2)
- UE Red Warriors (3-2)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (3-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-4)
- NU Bulldogs (1-5)
- FEU Tamaraws (1-5)
