THE ATENEO Men’s Basketball Team (AMBT) succumbed to the defending champions University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in round two of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88, 75-79. The Battle of Katipunan was held earlier today, November 19, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in the City of Pasay.
Following this loss, the Blue Eagles’ Final Four hopes continue to dwindle as they drop to sixth in the standings with a 5-7 record—tying with the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws.
Co-captains Jared Bahay and Kymani Ladi spearheaded the AMBT with 21 and 17 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Gerry Abadiano led the Fighting Maroons with 18 points.
Determined to claim court dominance, Shawn Tuano aggressively attacked the rim to open the rivalry redux, 2-0. While Francis Nrouka’s interior baskets kept UP at level, 6-6, another layup courtesy of Tuano gave Ateneo the slim 8-6 lead with over six minutes remaining.
From there, the Blue Eagles amped up their defensive energy, holding the Fighting Maroons to zero field goals for the rest of the period. Relying on their drives to the basket, a Josh Lazaro fastbreak layup capped off Ateneo’s 13-1 blitz to end the quarter, 21-8.
The second quarter saw both teams grapple for momentum as Ian Espinosa knocked down a jumper, which was then countered by a Reyland Torres three-pointer, 23-12. Continuing the offensive onslaught, Dominic Escobar and Jared Bahay buried consecutive treys to widen the gap, 28-12.
In spite of Ateneo’s double-digit advantage, 31-15, the Fighting Maroons surged to an 8-0 run as Torres and Rey Remogat began to find their rhythm, 23-31. The Blue and White also struggled to contain the paint, forcing them to give up multiple fouls and offensive rebounds. Capitalizing on this weakness, UP managed to cut their deficit to four, 28-32.
Sensing the pressure, Espinosa then stabilized the Blue Eagles with a personal 4-0 run to establish separation, 36-28. As both teams continued to commit fouls, an exchange of free-throw conversions provided Ateneo the nine-point advantage at halftime, 38-29.
Quick fouls at the onset of the second half derailed the Blue Eagle momentum, as the team’s advantage shrunk to three, 38-35. However, a momentum shifting putback from junior Tuano paired with Ladi’s strong slam restored order for Ateneo, 42-35.
Following an unsportsmanlike foul called on UP’s Gani Stevens, the Loyola Heights-based squad continued to apply pressure, with Bahay nailing his third three to extend the lead back to double digits, 49-37. However, the Blue Eagles struggled to limit their fouls, prompting an 11-2 UP run, 51-48. In need of a crucial basket to swing momentum back to the Blue and White, a massive three from Bahay reestablished a six point lead at the end of the third quarter, 54-48.
One quarter away from keeping their Final Four hopes alive, the Katipunan neighbors exchanged basket after basket, with the Blue Eagles holding a slight advantage with seven minutes remaining, 58-56. As the Blue Eagles were unable to convert on their offensive possessions, another midrange jumper of UP’s Gerry Abadiano put Ateneo behind, 58-60.
After Tuano’s two free throws knotted the contest, 60-60, UP’s Nnorouka and Stevens imposed his size in the paint, delivering multiple paint buckets to further dash Ateneo’s chances, 62-67.
Four free throws from Bahay cut the margin down to three with less than two minutes remaining, but Abadiano once again delivered for the Fighting Maroons, increasing Ateneo’s deficit to its largest of the match, 66-74. Unwavering in their goal, however, Team Captains Bahay and Ladi rose to the occasion, scoring one three point basket each to bring the Blue Eagles within two with 19 seconds left, 74-76.
Despite the spirited effort from the captains, the Blue Eagles’ comeback would fall short, as Jaden Lazo’s three hit the backrim, 75-79.
As pressure continues to mount at the end of the season, the AMBT will need to sweep their remaining second round assignments to stay in the hunt for a postseason spot. Ateneo will look to keep their season alive against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons on Sunday, November 19, 1:30 PM at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (75): Bahay – 21, Ladi – 17, Tuano – 10, Espinosa – 8, Adili – 7, Escobar – 6, Espina – 4, Lazaro – 2
UP (79): Abadiano – 18, Nnoruka – 17, Bayla – 8, Alarcon – 8, Alter – 7, Torres – 7, Remogat – 6, Stevens – 6, Fortea – 2
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UP: 21-7, 38-35, 54-48, 75-79
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Bulldogs (11-2)*
- UP Fighting Maroons (9-3)*
- UST Growling Tigers (7-5)
- DLSU Green Archers (6-6)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (6-7)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (5-7)
- FEU Tamaraws (5-7)
- UE Red Warriors (0-13)
* – clinched Final Four berth
