THE ATENEO Blue Eagles’ Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup drought continues after being overpowered by the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 61-98. Today’s match was held at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in the City of San Juan.
Josh Lazaro and Jared Bahay led the Katipunan-based squad with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Kevin Quiambao proved to be a force to be reckoned with, scoring a season-high 31 points in the bout that saw La Salle lead by as much as 48.
Immediately after tipoff, the Blue Eagles were met by a strong Green Archers squad that went on their inside attack for a quick 10-0 run within the first two minutes of play. Despite Ateneo’s attempts to stop the bleeding, La Salle’s consistent shot conversion helped maintain their dominance into the final minutes of the quarter, 26-7. With DLSU’s Raven Cortez continuously drawing foul calls, the Blue Eagles eventually concluded the first period with a 20-point deficit, 15-35.
In the second quarter, the Blue and White still struggled to capitalize on any of their jump shots, allowing the Green Archers to connect on their own, 15-38. Subsequently, Ateneo failed to contain DLSU’s drives to the basket, further falling into a 35-point hole, 52-17. Even with Lazaro’s efforts from the midrange, misfortunes continued to stockpile for Ateneo as they headed into the halftime staring down a dreadful 30-65 deficit.
Coming off the halftime break, the Blue Eagles’ dismal shooting prevented them from cutting the deficit as DLSU eventually took a 48-point lead, 70-32. Meanwhile, Quiambao continued his hot streak in the quarter after making three shots from distance, forcing the Katipunan-based unit to enter the fourth quarter with a 43-85 deficit.
Shifting gears to start the final canto, the Blue Eagles went on a 6-0 run courtesy of Jared Bahay’s back-to-back triples. Making the most out of his limited minutes, Kyle Gamber secured multiple defensive stops, eventually converting on the other end. However, despite Ateneo outscoring DLSU 18-13 in the quarter, Cortez’s inside presence on both ends of the floor allowed the Taft-based squad to sustain a comfortable lead. Without much left to counter the Green Archers, the Blue Eagles succumbed to their worst defeat in the tournament so far, 61-98.
With aspirations to finish the tournament on a high note, the Blue Eagles will take on the University of the East Red Warriors tomorrow, at 5:00 PM, in the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (61): Lazaro – 15, Bahay – 12, Gamber – 7, Espinosa – 6, Koon – 6, Amos – 5, Ong – 4, Porter – 2, Reyes – 2, Tuano – 2, Bongo – 0, Quitevis – 0, De Luna – 0, Nieto – 0, Espina – 0
DLSU (98): Quiambao – 31, Abadam – 12, Dungo – 11, Cortez – 9, Austria – 9, Policarpio – 7, Ramiro – 6, Macalalag – 5, Agunanne – 4, Marasigan – 3, Alian – 1, Zamora – 0, Gaspay – 0, Romero – 0, Rubico – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 15-35, 30-65, 43-85, 61-98
Current Standings (W-L):
- UP Fighting Maroons (7-0)
- DLSU Green Archers (4-1)
- FEU Tamaraws (3-2)
- UE Red Warriors (3-3)
- UST Growling Tigers (2-3)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-4)
- NU Bulldogs (2-4)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-6)
