NOW POSSESSING more weapons at their disposal, the Ateneo Blue Eagles collected their first win in dominant fashion over the La Consolacion College Manila (LCCM) Blue Royals, 86-60. The 2026 U-Belt Collegiate (UBC) Invitational Cup game took place earlier today, April 26, at Hoops Haven in the City of Pasay.
This victory puts Ateneo at a 1-2 win-loss record, rising to fifth place in the Group B Standings.
Rookie Jay-M Leal led the way for the Blue Eagles with 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Alongside Leal, former Magis Eagle Jelo Rota contributed 10 points and five rebounds after playing just 10 minutes of action.
Following their opening weekend matches, the Blue and White rolled out an all-new starting lineup that included Jared Bahay, Kieffer Alas, Waki Espina, Leal, and Sultan Baruwa.
With fresh faces on the court, Ateneo wasted no time attacking the paint led by drives from Leal and Baruwa, 4-0. Bahay’s shot-calling ability was put on display as he found an open Alas who knocked down the jumper on the wing to extend the advantage, 7-0. Despite allowing LCCM’s first basket, Leal answered back with a lay-in over multiple bodies, 9-2.
The Blue Eagles defense began to falter after Baruwa subbed out for rest, as Espina kept the team afloat with five points by himself, 14-9. Over the next few minutes, Femi Edu and Michael Asoro relentlessly battled in the paint as the Blue Royals zoned in, 18-14. Even with Edu’s second putback of the game, Ateneo failed to contain their opponent’s three-point attack, 20-17. As the lead deflated to a one possession game, Kyle Gamber exchanged baskets with his adversary to end the quarter still in the driver’s seat, 22-19.
Ateneo opened the second quarter after taking a beating from an aggressive LCCM offense. However, the attack was immediately mitigated by Asoro’s timely triple, 25-25. With the goal of maintaining order on the court, Leal and Jelomar Rota controlled the inside to break the tie, 27-25. As the Blue Eagles surrendered a pair of free throws, Lebron Nieto’s athleticism shined with a putback jumper, 29-27.
Returning to the game, Team Captain Bahay conducted a masterful 18-2 sprint that began at the five-minute mark. Following an aggressive drive by Grayson Rogers, Leal personally scored six points to inflate the advantage to 37-29. The Ateneo rookie continued his dominance down-low with another layup off a split visit to the line by Baruwa, 40-29. Rota then went on his own 6-0 run that was topped off by one charity bucket by Gamber to end the first half, 47-29.
The Blue Eagles came out firing in the second half, with Logan Baltazar and Alas scoring back-to-back buckets, extending the lead to 22, 51-29. Eager to protect the double-digit cushion, the Katipunan-based squad hounded LCCM’s offense, leading to fastbreak points from Baltazar and Alden Cainglet finishing through contact, 56-33. The Blue Royals attempted to answer, with Ralph Cruz draining a shot from beyond the arc, but prized recruit Alas quickly shut it down with a layup off a turnover, 58-38.
Midway through the third quarter, Ateneo clamped down on defense, deploying a full-court press for the rest of the frame. With the Blue Eagles dictating the tempo, the Tab Baldwin-coached unit broke away with an 11-3 run kicked off by Kyle Gamber’s explosive shooting and concluded by Grayson Rogers’ aggressive drives, 69-41. With the lead increasing to 28 points, LCCM’s Kyle Cordano attempted to stop the bleeding, driving through the lane towards the end of the quarter, 69-43.
Aiming to stamp on a statement finish, the Katipunan-based squad showcased flawless ball movement in the final quarter, resulting in open layups for Rogers and Femi Edu, 75-48. Leal then buried a 15-footer, followed by Cainglet’s jumper from beyond the arc, extending Ateneo’s lead to 30, 80-50.
Despite dominating the game, the Blue Eagles were still riddled by turnovers, mishanding passes and committing violations midway through the fourth frame. However, Ateneo bounced back from these miscues as Cainglet navigated through traffic and powered through for an open layup, 86-52. With two minutes left in the game, traveling violations stalled Ateneo’s offense, as LCCM went on an 8-0 run before the Blue Eagles closed out a 26-point win, 86-60.
As of writing, the Blue Eagles’ next UBC game has not been announced with the squad currently possessing a 1-2 record in the Group B standings. Given the format of the competition, Ateneo will look to lean on their momentum in their final four games of the UBC elimination round.
Box Scores:
Ateneo (86): Leal – 14, Rota – 10, Cainglet – 9, Gamber – 8, Rogers – 8, Alas – 7, Espina – 7, Edu – 6, Asoro – 5, Baltazar – 4, Baruwa – 3, Espinosa – 3, Nieto – 2
LCCM (60): Alonzo – 20, Cordana – 18, Garcia – 8, Valencia – 4, Valenzona – 3, Trinidad – 2, Gabuna – 2
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-LCCM: 22-19, 47-29, 69-43, 86-60
Group B Standings (W-L):
- SBU Red Lions (3-0)
- CEU Scorpions (3-1)
- NU Bulldogs (2-0)
- EAC Generals (2-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-2)
- UPHSD Altas (0-1)
- AU Chiefs (0-2)
- LCCM Blue Royals (0-3)
