ON THE first day of the 2025 PASSIkat: Ultimate Collegiate Basketball Showdown, the Ateneo Blue Eagles tamed the San Beda University (SBU) Red Lions, 68-66. The game was held earlier today at the City of Passi Arena in Iloilo.
This contest was the first time that the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team suited up against a Philippine collegiate squad since their Asiabasket finals matchup against the De La Salle University Green Archers in May.
Out of the gate, the Blue Eagles relied heavily on star recruit Kymani Ladi, who continued his preseason excellence. Ladi brought the Blue and White ahead 5-0 with a tough finish and contested triple in the opening minutes. However, the Blue Eagles found their troubles in the paint, as they failed to contain layups from the Red Lions’ Agjanti Miller and Bryan Sajonia, 7-4.
Ladi continued to keep San Beda at bay by nailing a pair of free throws and a mid-range jumpshot through strong defense, providing Ateneo a 13-8 advantage. Despite the Red Lions’ persistent attack that cut the lead to 13-12, the Blue Eagles stayed ahead with free throws from Dominic Escobar and Jared Bahay. Josh Lazaro then drained a fadeaway jumper in the final moments of the quarter, keeping the Blue Eagles on top, 17-14.
With neither team gaining sole control early on, San Beda kicked off the second quarter with a three from Miller, leveling the playing field at 17-all. In response, Ateneo strung together a 5-0 run, capped off with a reverse layup from Lazaro, leading to an and-one play, 22-17. A brief cold stretch then followed, with both squads struggling to score. Eventually, Ladi broke the drought, converting a three with five minutes remaining, 25-20. From there, both teams began trading baskets, with the sequence ending in an and-one conversion from SBU’s Sajonia, trimming the Ateneo lead to two, 27-25.
Towards the end of the second frame, the Blue and White pulled out a quick 6-0 run to extend their advantage to seven, 37-30. However, the moment was short-lived as the Ateneo lead was reduced to four after a three from San Beda’s RC Calimag, ending the half at 37-33.
At the onset of the third frame, Lazaro and Sajonia traded conversions as the Blue Eagles maintained a 40-36 lead. Despite this, Ateneo’s perimeter defense continued to falter, allowing Yukien Andrada to hit multiple triples for the Red Lions, which put the Blue Eagles behind at 42-44. Down for the first time in the game, the Blue Eagles responded with free throws by Bahay and a difficult jumper from Ladi to get back the lead, 46-44.
After a series of free throws from Bahay and San Beda’s Bismarck Lina, Lazaro calmly sank in a jumper to put the gap at 49-46. To counter the Red Lions’ relentless charge, Ian Espinosa established control by knocking down three free throws on separate calls, keeping the Blue Eagles ahead 52-47.
During the fourth and final quarter, neither team was able to score in the first two minutes. Breaking the drought was Red Lions’ Sajonia, who slashed to the rim with seven minutes on the clock, trimming Ateneo’s lead to three, 52-49. As the quarter progressed, the Blue Eagles managed to regain some control after two crucial buckets from Ladi at the charity stripe, 62-57. However, the Katipunan-based squad was unable to contain the fast-charging Red Lions, who cut the lead to one after baskets from Sajonia and Miller, 62-61.
Ateneo then put up a strong effort to maintain the lead in the closing stages, starting with a strong drive to the basket from Escobar, 64-61. However, San Beda’s Miller quickly responded with a clutch pull-up jumper from the corner to once again trim the Blue Eagles’ lead to one, 64-63.
With time running out, Ateneo was rewarded with multiple opportunities at the free throw line, as San Beda was forced to commit intentional fouls. Stepping up to the line were Blue Eagles Bahay and Espinosa, who provided a cushion against the Red Lions, 68-66.
In the final possession of the game, the Blue Eagles put up a staunch defensive effort as Nygel Alexiz Gonzalez’s attempted turnaround jumper hit the front iron, sealing the 68-66 victory for Ateneo.
The Blue Eagles set their sights on sweeping their two-game series against the Red Lions as both teams are set to clash again tomorrow afternoon, July 27, at 4:00 PM in the same venue.
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-San Beda: 17-14, 37-33, 52-47, 68-66
