OPENING THE 2026 Asiabasket NSAC playoff tournament in style, the Ateneo Blue Eagles took care of the Mapua University (MU) Cardinals, 91-83, in a close-knit battle. The Round of 16 matchup occurred earlier today, May 2, at the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Gymnasium in the City of Las Piñas.

Michael Asoro took charge for the Blue Eagles with 12 points and five rebounds on an efficient 62.5% from the field. Ateneo got all-around help from its cast with Divine Adili, Jay-M Leal, and Kieffer Alas, who chipped in 11 each. Moreover, Adili pulled down 13 crucial rebounds on a blistering 66.7% shooting.

For the Cardinals, Cyrus Cuenco and Cyrus Nitura led the way for the Intramuros-based unit with 26 and 19 points, respectively.

Team Captain Jared Bahay came out firing in the first quarter, draining two straight shots to give Ateneo the early lead, 4-0. Shortly after, Adili forced his way to the basket, leading to two free throws for the center, 6-3. However, the Cardinals answered back with Cuenco sinking a mid-range jumper and a free throw, tying things up at 6-all.

With the game on a standstill, the Blue Eagles committed multiple defensive lapses and surrendered the lead after Cuenco’s layup through contact, 13-14. Shawn Tuano then soared through the Cardinals’ defense, scoring a putback off of his own miss to hand back the lead to Ateneo, 17-16.

Eager to widen their cushion, the Blue Eagles unleashed a 12-0 run to close the quarter, punctuated by coast-to-coast drives from Asoro for a 29-16 advantage.

As the second quarter opened, the backcourt duo of Bahay and Alas knocked down jumpers to stretch the gap to 18, 34–16. Building on the surge, Alas sliced through traffic for a tough layup and a trip to the line, pushing the margin to 38-22. Keeping the pressure on, Tuano then outmuscled his defender for an and-one drive, extending the advantage to 42-22.

However, Mapua clawed its way back with Nitura attacking the lane through contact and Bonel Sacro knocking down a fadeaway jumper, 42-27. Cuenco then doubled down with a shot from rainbow territory. Ian Espinosa quickly fired back with a triple of his own to keep the Cardinals within reach, 48-32.

The Tab Baldwin-coached unit then struggled to contain Mapua’s offense, sending the Cardinals to the line off multiple fouls, 48-35. With the cushion dwindling, Adili restored order with a strong post finish, 50-35. However, Yam Concepcion banked in a deep triple at the buzzer, cutting Ateneo’s advantage right before the break, 50-38.

Sporting a double-digit lead at the onset of the third frame, Ateneo leaned on their aggressive playstyle. Both teams continuously traded baskets to open the first four minutes, as the exchange ended with Leal attacking a contested paint, 60-45. From then, the Blue Eagles fell victim to an unanswered 6-0 sprint by the Cardinals. Entering the game, Lebron Nieto silenced the Mapua run with his first two points inside, 62-51.

Down the other end, Tuano responded to Concepion’s lay-in with a three-point bucket of his own, 65-53. Another Concepion basket inside was immediately countered with an Adili layup and Asoro knocking the long-range marker, 70-55. Asoro continued to battle with the Cardinals, mitigating their inside presence with his own two points, 72-59. With time running on the clock, Logan Baltazar threw up a contested jumper from beyond the arc that banked in at the buzzer, 75-59.

Ateneo’s adventure into the fourth quarter turned ugly as the Katipunan-based squad entered a five-minute offensive drought. The Blue Eagles were subjugated to a 15-2 sprint by the Cardinals, where the lone basket by the Blue and White came from an Asoro layup, 77-74. Breaking the slump in a crucial moment was Tuano, who came barrelling into the paint with a floater, 79-74.

The Blue Eagles were put to the limit when Jaymark Lloren and Cuenco attacked the inside to cut the Ateneo lead to one, 79-78. The following sequences saw Ateneo retain a comfortable cushion from Drew Bongo’s second triple and a strong Leal putback to gain a five-point advantage, 84-78. Despite Nitura getting another inside marker, Bahay and Leal responded with consecutive runaway layups that extended the lead further, 88-80. Adili then took control of both ways of the court, using his size on defense, which rewarded him with an open layup on the other end, 90-80.

With the Cardinals taking one last effort at a comeback, Ateneo failed to contain Cuenco’s fourth three-pointer of the quarter that put the lead in single figures, 90-83. Alas soon put the finishing touches on a successful playoff opener with one last bucket in the charity stripe, ending the Blue Eagles’ Saturday venture, 91-83.

After this victory, the Blue Eagles advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the matchup between the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers and St. Clare College Saints. The quarterfinal matchup will be held on either May 16 or 17 at the College of Saint Benilde Sports and Dorm Complex.

Box Scores:

Ateneo (91): Asoro – 12, Adili – 11, Leal – 11, Alas – 11, Tuano – 11, Bahay – 8, Espinosa – 7,  Bongo – 6, Baltazar – 5, Espina – 4, Nieto – 2, Rogers – 2, Edu – 2, Cainglet – 0

MU (83): Cuenco – 26, Nitura – 19, Concepcion – 15, Reyes – 9, Bernabe – 4, Lloren – 4, Liwanag – 2, Callangan – 0, Mendoza – 0, Reyes – 0, Santos – 0, Dones – 0

Quarter Scores:

Ateneo-MU: 29-16, 50-38, 75-59, 91-83