THE ATENEO Blue Eagles opened University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 on a high note after taming the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 86-83, in an overtime thriller. The match was held earlier today, September 20, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in the City of Manila.
This win puts the Blue Eagles at a 1-0 record in the elimination round standings of the UAAP Season 88.
Heading into his UAAP debut, Kymani Ladi erupted and notched 26 points, earning him the Player of the Game award. His co-one-and-done star Dom Escobar finished with 16 points despite exiting in the third quarter due to cramps. Alongside the new faces donning the Blue and White, veteran point guard Jared Bahay recorded 13 points while coming up big in the dying minutes of the game.
To start the game, the Blue and White drew first blood as Escobar recorded his first UAAP basket with a putback layup, 2-0. From there, the first frame saw a back-and-forth affair as both teams traded blows that resulted in nine lead changes.
Amidst the intense offensive exchange, the Katipunan-based squad orchestrated a 10-3 run powered by two treys from Ladi and Jaden Lazo, 20-15. However, the Blue Eagles lagged on the defensive end, which allowed the Tamaraws to execute a 7-2 run, leading to a deadlock at 22-22. Towards the dying seconds of the first quarter, Ateneo regained the lead after Ladi sank in two shots from the stripe, 24-22.
Welcoming the second frame, the Blue and White assembled a 10-4 run fueled by Escobar’s and Ladi’s four points each, giving Ateneo their biggest lead of the half, 34-26. Despite the valiant effort of the Katipunan-based squad to contain FEU, the Blue Eagles’ sloppy paint defense warranted the Tamaraws to execute an 8-0 run forcing another deadlock, 34-34.
Nearing the end of the half, Escobar hit a long three that shifted the momentum back to Loyola, while Lazo contributed another shot from beyond the arc before the halftime buzzer, 40-34.
Star recruit Ladi continued his brilliance at the onset of the second half, opening the third quarter with back-to-back midrange jumpers to extend Ateneo’s advantage to double digits, 45-34. However, the Blue and White struggled to maintain their momentum due to the offensive prowess of the Tamaraw duo Jonrey Pasaol and Jorick Bautista, falling victim to a seven-to-nothing run, 45-41.
Following a brief exchange of baskets from both squads, consecutive perimeter buckets from Drew Bongo and Lazo pushed the Ateneo lead back to six at 53-47. Yet, the Blue Eagles were hit by a barrage of threes from the Tamaraws to tie the game at 53-all.
With two minutes remaining and both teams at a standstill, a monstrous alley-oop finish from Ladi swung momentum back to the Blue and White, 58-53. As time expired in the third frame, sophomore Wacky Espina drilled a side-step three-pointer to excite the Atenean crowd, 61-55.
Eager to capture their first win of the season, the Blue Eagles turned to rookie Divine Adili at the start of the fourth quarter, as the rookie’s post-up jumper extended the lead, 65-57. However, the duo of Pasaol and Bautista responded once more for the Tamaraws, as Ateneo found themselves trailing for the first time in the second half, 65-66.
In a test of their resolve and fire, the Blue Eagles showed their toughness, as a monstrous three from Bahay cut the once five-point lead of the Tamaraws down to one, 69-70. As intensity continued to build in the arena, Ladi stepped into the moment, drilling another basket from beyond the arc to give Ateneo the lead with one minute and 50 seconds remaining, 72-70.
Holding a 74-72 lead with less than 10 seconds remaining, the Blue Eagles needed one more stop to finish the match. However, FEU stalwart Bautista rose to the occasion, nailing a step-back jumper over Bongo to tie the game, 74-all. With one last attempt to win the game in regulation, Bahay’s jumper just rimmed out, sending the Blue Eagles into their first overtime match of the season.
Struggling to find their rhythm in the extended period, the Blue and White found themselves in an early six-point hole after failing to tame the Tamaraws, 74-80. However, Team Captain Bahay spearheaded the Blue Eagle’s revival and drained back-to-back shots from beyond the arc, forcing a commanding deadlock at 80-80.
Anchoring Ateneo’s backcourt defense, Bahay secured a steal for Ateneo while Ladi put the Blue Eagles in the driver’s seat by nabbing two points with a contested layup, 82-80. With less than a minute left on the clock, Ateneo’s pestering defense forced FEU to commit a 24-second shot clock violation with 18.5 seconds left in the ball game.
As the Tamaraws executed defensive traps for a potential steal, the Katipunan-based squad found Ladi who sank a crucial three to extend their lead, 85-80. Although Bautista managed to cap his performance with a three-pointer with five seconds left, 85-83, time was on Ateneo’s side, and the Blue and White sealed the game after Bahay’s trip to the line, 86-83.
After starting their season off on a high note, the Blue Eagles will attempt to repeat their success against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons on September 24, Wednesday, at 2:00 PM in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (86): Ladi – 26, Escobar – 16, Bahay – 13, Lazo – 9, Adili – 7, Espina – 5, Bongo – 5, Tuano – 3, Ong – 2
FEU (83): Pasaol – 24, Bautista – 24, Konateh – 11, Felipe – 7, Montemayor – 6, Daa – 4,, Owens – 3, Mongcopa – 2, Ona – 2
Quarter/Set scores:
Ateneo-FEU: 24-22, 40-34, 61-55, 74-74, 86-83
Current Standings (W-L):
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons
- NU Bulldogs
- DLSU Green Archers
- UST Growling Tigers
- UE Red Warriors
- AdU Soaring Falcons
- FEU Tamaraws (0-1)
