THE ATENEO Blue Eagles struggled in day two of the 2026 U-Belt Cup, falling to the Centro Escolar University (CEU) Scorpions in heartbreaking fashion, 73-80. The game took place earlier today, April 19, at the San Beda University RC Gym in the City of Manila.
This loss is Ateneo’s second straight loss of the tournament, falling to 0-2 after two days of action.
The Blue Eagles started off slowly in the contest, as consecutive offensive rebounds for the Scorpions put Ateneo in an early 0-4 hole. Quick to respond, Ateneo ramped up their defensive pressure with Grayson Rogers taking advantage of consecutive turnovers to take the lead, 7-4. Adding on to their run, a three point basket from recruit Jelo Rota extended Ateneo’s lead to eight, 12-4.
However, the Blue and White could not sustain their momentum, with CEU capitalizing on Ateneo’s porous paint defense to cut the deficit, 12-11. Despite Sam Reyes finding his range from rainbow country at 19-16, the Blue Eagles struggled to replicate their hot shooting. Going scoreless for the rest of the quarter, Ateneo’s defensive intensity dropped as consecutive baskets from Scorpion Axl Taporco ended the first frame with the Katipunan-based squad trailing, 19-25.
Turnover woes continued for Ateneo in the second quarter, with CEU extending their lead to nine off a Jericho Jalalon three point basket, 19-28. Turning the tide for Ateneo was newly inserted Femi Edu, who scored on back-to-back possessions to cut the deficit to five, 27-32.
Unable to find any consistency from beyond the arc, the Nico Salva-coached squad bludgeoned their way to the rim with Rogers tacking on another two points, 29-33. Yet, CEU bigman Francis Okuruwa continued to dominate inside the paint, dropping in multiple paint buckets to re-establish Ateneo’s biggest deficit, 29-38.
With his team in desperate need of offense, Ateneo standout Sultan Baruwa utilized his athleticism inside and slammed in a two-handed jam to bring momentum to the Blue and White, 35-41. Following another monster jam from Baruwa, the Blue Eagles closed the quarter in pristine fashion, finishing the fast-break layup, 39-41.
Looking to ride their new-found momentum, Ateneo tied the match after Rogers’ tough layup, 41-all. The Blue Eagles forced the Scorpions into tough, contested looks with their hounding defense as they took the lead once more with Thirdy Ebdane’s bank-shot from the midrange, 45-44. Moments later, Edu flexed his muscles en route to a tough finish inside, 47-44.
The Blue Eagles maintained their impressive form in the third quarter, as Michael Asoro found Lebron Nieto for the open three to reclaim an eight point lead, 52-44. However, a quick 4-0 run capped off by Nathaniel Caldit’s layup halted Ateneo’s momentum, 52-48. With less than two minutes remaining in the third frame, back-to-back tough baskets in the paint from Asoro stabilized Ateneo, but a buzzer-beating three from CEU’s Brian Javier cut the Blue Eagles’ lead to five, 56-51.
The onset of the fourth canto saw CEU quickly blitz Ateneo, with Javier drilling another three, 59-57. Unable to showcase the same level of play they displayed in the third frame, the Blue Eagles found themselves trailing by three as Micko Nambi nailed consecutive midrange jumpers, 60-63.
Turning to the veteran on the squad, Ebdane’s fast-break layup and assist inside to Baruwa put Ateneo back in the driver’s seat, 64-63. However, an and-one layup on the other end by Nambi snatched the lead away from the Blue Eagles, 64-66. After coming up empty on their next offensive trip, the Blue and White’s deficit increased to five after Topurco’s clutch triple, 64-69.
Struggling to penetrate the physical CEU defense, Ateneo’s offense slowly unraveled, producing empty offensive trips as the Blue Eagles’ deficit grew, 66-76. However, the Blue Eagles would battle back, as Asoro drilled a clutch triple to cut the deficit, 69-76.
After forcing a turnover with their pressure defense, a massive four-point play converted by Nieto made it a one possession game for Ateneo, 73-76. In need of a defensive stop to try and force overtime, the Blue Eagles were unable to secure the defensive rebound, as Caldit’s cutback wiped away their chances of a comeback, 73-78. A final turnover from Baruwa ended the match, with Ateneo faltering, 73-80.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-CEU: 19-25, 39-41, 56-51, 73-80
Group B Standings (W-L):
- SBU Red Lions (2-0)
- CEU Scorpions (2-0)
- NU Bulldogs (1-0)
- EAC Generals (0-1)
- UPHSD Altas (0-0)
- LCCM Blue Royals (0-1)
- AU Chiefs (0-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-2)
