THE NEW-LOOK Ateneo Blue Eagles breezed past the St. Clare College of Caloocan (SCC) Saints in their preseason debut after a 59-point blowout, 107-48. The Blue and White’s Asiabasket College Campus Tour opening match took place last night at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center in Quezon City.
Incoming rookie and 6’10” prodigy Divine Adili copped Player of the Game honors in his Ateneo debut after scoring 19 points off 73% shooting and snatching 15 rebounds. Meanwhile, seasoned veterans Andrew Bongo and Kyle Gamber dropped 14 markers apiece for the home squad.
On the other hand, no player scored in double digits for the seven-time defending National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (NAASCU) champions in their losing effort.
To open their Asiabasket stint, the Blue Eagles bombarded the Saints with a 15-2 start led by Shawn Tuano’s red-hot shooting and Team Captain Jared Bahay’s pristine playmaking.
With Ateneo’s turnover-forcing defense and their unyielding rebounding efforts spearheaded by Adili, the St. Clare offense struggled to find their footing. Tough transition buckets by Waki Espina and Kymani Ladi, which were generated by good defense, bolstered Ateneo’s commanding lead to 30-7 by the end of the first period.
St. Clare exhausted their efforts to resist Ateneo’s relentless pressure in the second quarter, matching the Blue Eagles’ scoring through paint penetration to put the score at 40-20. Despite the Saints’ efforts to rally, Tuano’s balanced attack with free throws and transition baskets sparked a 9-2 Ateneo run to end the half, 53-28.
The Tab Baldwin-coached unit’s activity and hustle were evident in the numbers, as Ateneo boasted a favorable turnover discrepancy over SCC at halftime, 22-6.
The Blue Eagles continued their pestering defense in the third quarter as they garnered more steals that disrupted SCC’s pick-and-roll action. Meanwhile, Ateneo also remained lethal on the offensive end, with Andrew Bongo finding Adili in the dunker’s spot for a highlight-reel posterizer nearly two minutes into the canto, 59-33.
With a 26-point lead, the Blue and White ran their half-court sets with discipline and consistency even with their huge cushion—a sign of growth and maturity for the young team. Through their sustained three-level scoring efficiency, the Katipunan-based squad ended the third quarter with an overwhelming 45-point advantage, 84-39.
While their outside shooting regressed in the final quarter, the Blue and White still kept up their tenacious defense to pester the Saints’ ball handlers and shot creators, 89-40. Gamber did damage despite Ateneo’s offense mostly switching to cruise control, hitting consecutive triples to pad the margin to 54, 94-40. Channeling a 40-minute defensive effort, the Katipunan-based squad eventually secured a whopping 59-point win107-48.
After officially donning the Blue and White for the first time in a win, Adili shared his feelings from his dominant double-double outing.
“I feel excited. It means so much [to] like, you know, [play] for Ateneo and also [win] the first game. I feel really excited and [am] looking forward to improving and winning more games,” the former NAASCU Most Valuable Player shared.
The Blue Eagles will look to ride their newfound momentum against the San Beda Red Lions on Saturday, March 29, at 2:00 PM in the same venue.
Box Scores:
Ateneo (107): Adili – 19, Bongo – 14, Gamber – 14, Tuano – 13, Espina – 10, Ladi – 9, Bahay – 7, Espinosa – 5, Edu – 5, Lazaro – 4, Luna – 3, Ong – 3, Ebdane – 1
SCC (48): Ibanez – 8, Simbulab – 8, Bojorcelo – 7, Islam – 7, Bautista – 6, Desabelle – 4, Cutamora – 3, Escobido – 3, Manzano – 1, Duaso – 1
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-SCC: 30-7, 53-29, 84-39, 107-48
Group A Standings (W-L):
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-0)
- DLSU Green Archers (1-0)
- EAC Generals (1-0)
- PCU-D Dolphins (0-0)
- SBU Red Lions (0-0)
- UE Red Warriors (0-1)
- SCC Saints (0-2)
