IN THEIR final Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup bout, the Ateneo Blue Eagles fell to the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 62-74, earlier today at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in the City of San Juan.
In their fifth game in five days, rookie Kristian Porter was the driving force for the Blue and White, putting up a near double-double of 16 points and nine rebounds. Meanwhile, UE’s Precious Momowei nabbed a double-double of 24 points and 18 rebounds, while shooting 64% from the field.
At the onset of the match, Ateneo was stunted by the Red Warriors’ fast-paced offense, giving up multiple easy buckets for Momowei and John Abate three minutes into the frame, 2-8. Determined to finally notch a win, the Blue Eagles fought back with a 14-6 lead-taking run that concluded with a hard-fought Jared Bahay layup at the end of the period, 16-14.
Despite their strong first quarter finish, the Katipunan-based squad’s size deficiencies proved to hurt them anew in the early stages of the second, as Momowei dominated the paint to put Ateneo down 22-27. In response, Andrew Bongo and Ian Espinosa both bagged three quick points to retake the advantage with three minutes remaining in the canto, 28-27. Ending the half on a good stand, a feisty defensive possession by the Blue Eagles kept the contest at a 35-all deadlock.
Both teams remained scoreless at the start of the third until an exchange of three-point baskets by UE’s Wello Lingolingo and Ateneo’s Bahay ended the dry spell after two minutes, 38-38. The Blue Eagles and Red Warriors continued to convert and respond to each other’s makes, before buckets by Momowei and Rain Maga sparked a 5-0 UE run, 49-42. In the last two minutes of the period, Ateneo managed to stifle their foe’s offense, but UE swiftly retaliated with consecutive baskets to close the quarter, 56-48.
Bahay came out strong to begin the final canto, with a layup off a Lingolingo turnover, 50-56. However, Abate and Momowei’s two-man game quickly countered to further extend UE’s advantage to 59-50. Unfazed by the deficit, the Blue Eagles answered back with five straight points off a three-pointer by Mason Amos and a transition layup by Kyle Gamber, 55-59. Despite Ateneo’s surge, UE broke out an 8-2 run, with threes by Lingolingo and Abate, and a layup by Jack Cruz-Dumont, 67-57.
In the closing minutes of the contest, Ateneo was unable to recover from the previous run, as Cruz-Dumont would give the Red Warriors their largest lead after converting on a layup, 69-57. Even with Porter’s three-pointer cutting the deficit back to single digits, 60-69, Abate’s counter triple and Galang’s layup hammered the nail in Ateneo’s coffin, 62-74.
In reflection of his team’s performance throughout the preseason, Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga highlighted Ateneo’s defensive woes as the main aspect the Blue Eagles need to work on. “Hopefully, once we get practices in, that’s where we can implement [the things we learned from Filoil],” the veteran tactician said.
However, he also commended the growth of rookies Bahay and Porter while emphasizing that there is still more to learn. “It’s a valuable experience for them, playing at a higher level. There are a lot of things [the coaching staff] likes but there are a lot of things they need to improve on,” Arespacochaga closed.
Although the Blue Eagles conclude their campaign with a 0-7 win-loss slate in their first preseason tournament, they now turn their focus to their next phase of preseason games in Melbourne, Australia. The Blue and White will be playing four matches from June 11 to 18 as they continue to build toward UAAP Season 87.
Box scores:
Ateneo (62): Porter – 16, Bahay – 9, Bongo – 7, Espinosa – 7, Gamber – 5, Koon – 4, Lazaro – 4, Tuano – 4, Amos – 3, Espina – 3
UE (74): Momowei – 24, Abate – 19, Maga – 11, Galang – 8, Lingolingo – 6, Cruz-Dumont – 4, Fong – 2
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UE: 16-14, 35-35, 48-56, 62-74
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 (0-7)
