IN A game that went down to the wire, the Ateneo Blue Eagles stunned the gritty National University (NU) Bulldogs, 70-68, to shatter their three-game skid in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87. Ateneo’s second-round elimination opener was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Following the victory, the Blue and White’s win-loss record now stands at 2-6, tied for sixth place with the Bulldogs and the Far Eastern University Tamaraws. However, with the league’s tiebreaker rules, the Blue Eagles currently remain in the eighth spot.
Moreover, the result finally ended Ateneo’s two-year-long drought against NU—with their last win coming in the first round of Season 85 last October 2022.
Bouncing back from his previous bout against the Bulldogs, rookie Kristian Porter demonstrated incredible poise throughout the game, tallying a double-double performance with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. Meanwhile, Andrew Bongo continued his stellar form, scoring nine points off an impressive 60% clip from beyond the arc.
Ateneo immediately entered a slugfest with NU as both teams failed to find their rhythm on the offensive end in the first five minutes of the contest. It was Jared Bahay and NU’s Jake Figueroa who ended the cold spell for both teams as they traded buckets in the opening moments of the game, 2-4.
After finding themselves down 5-9 midway through the first, the Blue and White turned to forward Shawn Tuano, who sank two timely layups to cut the squad’s deficit to one, 10-11. Feeding off of Tuano’s energy, rookies Bahay and Femi Edu converted multiple buckets to give their team the edge at the end of the canto, 15-13.
Keeping their momentum going in the second quarter, the Blue Eagles further extended their lead to seven, 20-13, highlighted by a Waki Espina steal and fastbreak layup. Bongo continued the offensive outburst after knocking down three-straight threes to cap off an 11-2 run and give his squad a 26-15 lead.
Despite the rally, Ateneo began to slack on the defensive end, which allowed Figueroa and Jolo Manansala to cut into the lead, 32-22. In the dying minutes of the second frame, the Katipunan-based squad allowed a 9-1 Bulldog swing, ending the half with just a four-point cushion, 35-31.
Coming out of the break with just a tight lead, the Blue Eagles sought to extend their advantage but eventually struggled due to NU’s zone defense. Even with Team Co-Captain Sean Quitevis and Figueroa trading threes, both teams experienced a lengthy dry spell midway through the period, keeping the score at 44-38 in favor of Ateneo.
The intense battle of zones lasted until the two-minute mark, when NU’s Reinhard Jumamoy dropped back-to-back three-pointers, exploiting the Blue Eagles’ shallow efforts at the glass, 44-45. However, the Blue and White quickly recovered and converted points off the stripe and paint to bring the score to 50-45.
After leading in all three quarters, Ateneo strived to carry a similar energy into the final frame on both ends of the court. The Blue Eagles swiftly added on to their lead courtesy of a putback by Edu, which was then immediately followed by a blazing deep three-point shot from Co-Captain Chris Koon, 55-47.
Facing a nine-point deficit, Steve Nash Enriquez then forced a turnover and hit two-straight bombs from long distance, trimming Ateneo’s lead to 61-62 with three minutes remaining.
Nonetheless, the Katipunan-based squad remained composed and converted numerous points inside the arc with only 30 seconds left, 68-65. Unfortunately, despite a crucial block by Porter at the 14-second mark, Manansala nailed a critical trey, dragging the match to a one-possession ball game, 68-69.
With five seconds on the clock, Manansala attempted to connect a heavily contested attempt from the three-point range but missed, ultimately sealing the game in favor of the Blue Eagles, 70-68.
After the victory, Head Coach Tab Baldwin emphasized how proud he was of the team after bouncing back from their rough first round.
“It was enough to get us over the finish line and, you know, it was very, very satisfying, especially for the players. It’s been a tough first half of the season and they stuck together. [I have] got to give them credit for that because I’ve tried to put a lot of pressure on them.” the tactician shared.
While relishing in the progress of his young squad, Baldwin also made sure to call for them to have better composure in closing situations and focus on their decision-making in future games.
Looking to pick up steam with their last-ditch effort for the Final Four, the Blue Eagles will face the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers on Saturday, October 19, 12:00 PM, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in the City of Manila.
Box scores:
Ateneo (70): Porter – 14, Bahay – 12, Koon – 10, Bongo – 9, Tuano – 8, Quitevis – 5, Edu – 5, Espinosa – 4, Espina – 2, Balogun – 1, Reyes – 0, Gamber – 0
NU (68): Figueroa – 15, Manansala – 12, Enriquez – 8, Jumamoy – 8, Yu – 6, Palacielo – 5, Padrones – 4, Garcia – 3, Francisco – 3, Tulabut – 0, Lim – 0, Dela Cruz – 0, Parks – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-NU: 15-13, 35-31, 50-45, 70-68
Current Standings (W-L):
- DLSU Green Archers (7-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (6-1)
- UE Red Warriors (4-3)
- UST Growling Tigers (4-3)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (3-5)
- NU Bulldogs (2-6)
- FEU Tamaraws (2-6)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-6)
