THE ATENEO Blue Eagles bowed to the number one-seeded De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 65-80, in the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87. The rivalry match was held earlier tonight at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The loss abruptly ends Ateneo’s two-game winning streak and places them back at seventh place in the standings with a 3-7 win-loss record. Tonight’s outcome also serves as the first time since 2013 that the Blue Eagles have been swept by the Green Archers in the UAAP’s elimination round.
Jared Bahay carried the load for Ateneo’s offense with his career-high of 22 points, starring as the only Atenean cager in double digits. Meanwhile, La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao had another double-double performance, producing 33 points and 13 rebounds.
Commencing the rivalry redux, the Blue Eagles and Green Archers traded buckets with a shifty Bahay floater putting the score at 4-5 early in the quarter. However, Ateneo then struggled to restrain DLSU’s Quiambao and EJ Gollena who sparked a 10-0 run to hand the Blue Eagles a 4-15 deficit midway through the first canto.
Giving life to the downed Ateneo, Josh Lazaro’s miracle three-point heave to beat the shot clock cut his team’s deficit to just six at the tail end of the quarter, 11-17.
The Katipunan-based squad chipped away at their disadvantage through services of Shawn Tuano and Bahay, who both hit timely points to trim the DLSU lead to just three early into the second frame, 16-19. Despite their mini-run, the Blue Eagles fell victim to another avalanche by the Green Archers, falling into another double-digit disadvantage, 18-30.
Alongside Tuano, Ateneo Team Captains Sean Quitevis and Chris Koon chipped in with their determined efforts to bring their squad to within five, 33-37. However, costly fouls on the Blue Eagles’ end extended their deficit to nine to conclude the first half, 33-42.
Coming off the halftime break, Bahay continued to showcase his scoring prowess, steering a struggling Blue Eagle offense by unleashing seven straight points. Despite the prized rookie’s invaluable production, Ateneo’s inability to grab rebounds prevented them from cutting the lead, as DLSU banked on second-chance opportunities to maintain a sizable lead at the five-minute mark, 50-41.
With Bahay resting on the bench, Ateneo would go on a three-minute cold spell, only scoring one point in the stretch. The Green Archers’ pesky defense hampered other Blue Eagles from contributing, forcing them to turnovers and misses. While Kristian Porter found his rhythm with a three-pointer late in the quarter, Quiambao answered with his own triple to send Ateneo into a 48-63 hole at the end of the penultimate period.
In the final frame, Koon attempted to rally his team back into the game after drilling an early triple. Prior to the quarter, one of Ateneo’s offensive weapons in Tuano would appear to be hurt after awkwardly landing on a layup. Although the sophomore returned, he would be forced to exit the game once again after suffering cramps.
Determined to not go without a fight despite losing one of their offensive pieces, the Katipunan-based unit mounted a late 13-5 run, cutting the deficit to 64-73 down the stretch of the fourth quarter.
However, the Blue Eagles’ defensive lapses continued to haunt them late in the game as they failed to contain the Quiambao-led DLSU frontcourt. A couple of offensive rebounds and inside baskets from Michael Philllips capped off a contest, where they dominated Ateneo’s interior defense, to ultimately deal the Blue Eagles a 65-80 loss.
Sharing his thoughts on Bahay’s breakout performance, Head Coach Tab Baldwin noted the young guard’s potential while also emphasizing a need for growth on the aspect of leadership.
“I know he’s a tough kid, and I’m close to him, and I believe in him, but I know he can take criticism. That’s where he’s going to grow as a basketball player, he’s going to be much better [in the future] at becoming the type of guard that extracts better basketball from his whole team,” the Kiwi-American tactician declared.
Looking to bounce back from the loss, the Blue Eagles will square off against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in another rivalry match on Wednesday, October 30, 6:30 PM at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (65): Bahay – 22, Koon – 9, Porter – 8, Tuano – 8, Espinosa – 6, Lazaro – 6, Quitevis – 5, Bongo – 1, Balogun – 0, Ong – 0, Gamber – 0, Espina – 0
DLSU (80): Quiambao – 33, David – 9, Gollena – 9, Austria – 7, Marasigan – 7, Macalalag – 5, Phillips – 4, Ramiro – 3, Gonzales – 2, Dungo – 1, Agunanne – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 11-17, 33-42, 48-63, 65-80
Current Standings (W-L):
- DLSU Green Archers (10-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (7-1)
- UE Red Warriors (6-3)
- UST Growling Tigers (4-6)
- FEU Tamaraws (3-6)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (3-6)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (3-7)
- NU Bulldogs (2-8)
