THE ATENEO Blue Eagles saw their losing streak extend to three after a 54-65 loss to the Far Eastern University Tamaraws in the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 Men’s Basketball tournament. The matchup took place earlier this afternoon at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Tab Baldwin-coached squad fell to 3-9, further plunging them down at the bottom of the standings. The loss significantly jeopardizes Ateneo’s chances of making the Final Four, with the Katipunan-based squad now having to depend on the results of the other teams’ matches for their fate.
Ian Espinosa led the Blue Eagles in the loss, registering 14 points and six assists.
The Blue Eagles failed to secure the boards at the onset of the opening frame, allowing Jedrick Daa and Mo Tounkara to mount a 6-0 run for FEU purely from second-chance attempts. Seeing the game’s pace slowly tip on the side of the Tamaraws, Baldwin inserted Kyle Ong and Shawn Tuano early into his rotation.
Ong’s early minutes proved valuable, as his two blocks helped cap a 9-0 run from the Blue Eagles, 9-6. However, Rojan Montemayor clapped back with two decisive threes, sparking a 12-7 Tamaraw sequence that put Ateneo down, 16-20, at the end of the first frame.
The second quarter saw a rampaging offensive start for the Tamaraws, further exposing the Blue and White’s rebounding woes. While Kristian Porter and Ong chipped in with a three and a long two, respectively, FEU continued to pound on Ateneo’s defense with swift movements inside the paint, putting up a 30-22 advantage midway into the frame.
As the quarter continued, the Blue Eagles were unable to shift the momentum as they failed to shatter the Tamaraws’ zone. Unfazed by the challenge, Ateneo’s rhythmic guard play slowly narrowed the deficit to a 29-33 scoreline heading into the break.
Even with Ateneo cutting the lead down to four, the team’s rebounding issues remained an urgent concern for the squad, with the Blue Eagles only recording 19 boards to FEU’s enormous 29 just from the first half alone.
The third period started out with a surge by Porter, with the center’s solo five-point mini-run cutting Ateneo’s deficit to one, 34-35. Eager to maintain control, FEU’s guards then unleashed their biggest rampage on the Atenean defense, going on a 15-4 counter run spearheaded by Jorick Bautista to bring their lead back to double digits, 49-38.
The latter half of the frame then saw both Rookie of the Year (ROY) frontrunners Jared Bahay and Veejay Pre trade tough layups, 42-51. With turnovers coming from both sides, Pre restored order at the end of the canto with a three to restore the Tamaraws’ double-digit advantage, 54-42.
At the start of the final quarter, a dreadful cold spell plagued the Blue Eagles’ offense, with Ong’s bank shot being the only made Ateneo field goal in the first four minutes of the final period. FEU’s guard play continued to be a thorn in Ateneo’s side, with Royce Alforque’s layup and Janrey Pasaol’s assist to Konateh keeping the Blue and White down, 47-59.
Giving the Blue and White a glimmer of hope, Tuano and Ong ushered in a 7-2 run to cut their deficit to single digits, 54-61. Despite FEU’s offense firing blanks down the stretch, Ateneo could not find further breakthrough, suffering a 54-65 loss that placed them on the brink of elimination.
Taking the mic once before their fate was potentially sealed, Baldwin recognized Ateneo’s current reality, which is far from its dominance in recent years. “Nobody envisaged the Ateneo Blue Eagles being where we’re at right now,” the five-time UAAP champion coach said.
Despite the despair, the Atenean tactician noted the team’s continued intent to fight. “We want people to think that no matter the circumstances, no matter how dim the light at the horizon is, we’re going to show up, we’re going to fight,” the Kiwi-American added.
Despite their Final Four chances now out of their sole control, the Blue Eagles will look to bounce back while also hoping for miracles. Their next match will be against the University of the East Red Warriors next Wednesday, 6:30 PM, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in the City of Manila.
Box scores:
Ateneo (54): Espinosa – 14, Bahay – 9, Porter – 8, Ong – 7, Koon – 5, Lazaro – 4, Tuano – 4, Quitevis – 3, Bongo – 0, Balogun – 0, Espina – 0, Espina – 0, Edu – 0, Gamber – 0
FEU (65): Pasaol – 14, Montemayor – 13, Konateh – 11, Alforque – 8, Bautista – 8, Pre – 5, Daa – 4, Bagunu – 2, Nakai – 0, Ona – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-FEU: 16-20, 29-33, 42-54, 54-65
Current Standings (W-L):
- DLSU Green Archers (11-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (9-2)
- UE Red Warriors (6-5)
- UST Growling Tigers (5-7)
- FEU Tamaraws (5-8)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (4-7)
- NU Bulldogs (4-8)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (3-9)
