THE ATENEO Blue Eagles claimed the runner-up spot at the 2025 Asiabasket College Campus Tour after suffering a 77-89 championship loss to rival De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers. The anticipated finals duel was held earlier this afternoon at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center in Quezon City.
This matchup served as the first time the longtime foes faced off in a championship contest since 2017. Prior to the game, Ateneo had added motivation to close their Asiabasket campaign strong, as Kymani Ladi and Ian Espinosa were both named members of the Asiabasket First Team after their stellar play throughout the tournament.
Leading the way for the Blue and White in the championship match was Ladi, who tallied a game-high 22 points and three rebounds. Meanwhile, Shawn Tuano capped his preseason excellence with a 17-point and seven-board performance. Divine Adili also contributed to Ateneo’s losing effort, chipping in a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Looking to defend home court and capture the gold, the Blue Eagles paraded a starting lineup of Jared Bahay, Tuano, Ladi, Andrew Bongo, and Adili.
The Green Archers opened the game attacking Ateneo’s interior defense, as Mike Phillips’ spin move bucket gave La Salle an early 6-2 advantage. Despite two free throws from Adili, DLSU continued to punish the Blue Eagles on the offensive glass to maintain control, 6-12.
Ateneo then saw their deficit balloon to double digits, 8-19, as they continued to misfire from beyond the arc. While newly-minted Asiabasket Best Three-Point Shooter Kyle Gamber finally drained the Blue Eagles’ first outside basket with two minutes left in the first, the team still fatally gave up second-chance points, 11-27.
Aiming to provide the Blue and White a spark heading into the second quarter, Femi Edu hit a buzzer-beating baseline floater to make it a 16-29 margin at the end of the first canto.
The Blue Eagles’ defensive woes persisted at the onset of the second frame, surrendering five-straight points to Jacob Cortez, 20-36. In response, Bahay breathed life back into his squad with a deep-range banked triple over DLSU substitute Mason Amos, 25-36.
Continuing this upwards climb for Ateneo, wings Tuano and Ladi provided tenacious defense and quick drives to allow their team to cut La Salle’s advantage into single digits, 29-38. The Blue Eagles brought this momentum to the end of the half, outscoring the Green Archers 19-13 in the second to cut what was once a 16-point deficit to just seven, 35-42.
Down by just seven points entering the second half, the Blue Eagles’ surge was quickly halted by an Adili injury. With the tenacious big man on the bench, the Katipunan-based squad sped up the pace of their attack, with back-to-back fastbreak drives from Tuano and Gamber keeping it close, 39-46.
Coming off a La Salle timeout, a tough three-point bucket by Ladi and a rainbow midrange jumpshot by Tuano brought Ateneo even closer, 44-46.
Stabilizing the DLSU attack, however, Kean Baclaan went on a personal 5-0 scoring burst to push the Taft-based squad’s margin back to nine, 55-46. Matching Baclaan’s effort, EJ Gollena showed the way for the Green Archers on both ends of the hardwood, restoring the Green and White’s double-digit lead to the detriment of Ateneo, 60-48.
A highlight block and three-point play by Josh Lazaro kept the Blue Eagles in the hunt, as a 5-0 run brought Ateneo to within seven yet again, 53-60, with one minute remaining in the frame. Despite the Tab Baldwin-coached unit’s fight, La Salle still held on to a 63-53 advantage at the end of the third.
Looking to finally claw their way back into the contest with success, Tuano and Ladi led an 8-0 Ateneo blitz to start the final quarter, trimming the Green Archers’ advantage to two possessions, 61-65. However, the Blue Eagles were once again overwhelmed by Cortez and Phillips, who helped DLSU respond with a backbreaking 9-0 counter run to bring Ateneo back down by double digits, 61-74.
The Blue and White’s prior momentum began to slip away at the midpoint of the fourth, as the team was unable to capture rebounds and make enough stops to keep themselves alive, 65-78. With fatigue plaguing the Blue Eagles and the prowess from the Green Archers’ backcourt shining in the endgame, the final scoreboard read 77-89 in favor of the road team.
After the conclusion of their Asiabasket stint, the Blue Eagles announced that they will be foregoing the 2025 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup. Following this, the Blue Eagles have firmly set their sights on international competition, as the Katipunan-based unit will travel to Spain in June. This will be followed by a Taiwan trip in July for their next leg of University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 88 preseason preparations.
Box Scores:
Ateneo (77): Ladi – 22, Tuano – 17, Adili – 13, Gamber – 9, Bahay – 7, Lazaro – 5, Edu – 2, Espinosa – 2, Bongo – 0, Ebdane – 0, Espina – 0, Ong – 0
DLSU (89): Cortez – 21, Phillips – 12, Baclaan – 11, Gollena – 11, Dungo – 8, Marasigan – 5, Macalalag – 4, Nwankwo – 4, Pablo – 4, Amos – 3, Quines – 2, Abadam – 2, Daep – 2
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 16-29, 35-42, 53-63, 77-89
