THE ATENEO Blue Eagles steamrolled through the opening day of the 2025 University Top League (UTL) Tournament earlier today, August 12, at the Moriguchi City Gymnasium in Osaka, Japan.
Kicking off the competition, Ateneo first took care of business with a commanding win over the Kanagawa University Jays, 76-64. The Blue Eagles then captured their second victory behind a second-half masterclass against the Kyoto Sangyo University (KSU), 100-79.
Ateneo vs Kanagawa University
In their first game of the tournament, Ateneo appeared to shake off some rust after committing early turnovers and missed layups. Despite the slow offensive start, the Blue Eagles’ defensive effort allowed them to stay in pace with the Kanagawa Jays, 6-7. Joshua Lazaro and Dominic Escobar then made an impact off the bench, sparking a 14-2 offensive onslaught for Ateneo at the end of the first quarter, 20-9.
In response, the Yokohama-based squad chipped away at their disadvantage to start the second period, 15-20. Countering immediately, Kymani Ladi and Kyle Gamber answered with consecutive triples and brought their lead back to double-digits, 26-15.
The Blue and White continued to build a sizable advantage with baskets from Andrew Bongo and Divine Adili, 36-19. However, the Jays soared on an 8-2 run, cutting the lead to 11 at halftime.
Although Ateneo experienced a fairly-dominant first half, a cause for concern rose in the second quarter as Lebron Nieto suffered an injury at the 7:56 mark. Nieto, who recently recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury last year, had to exit the game for the remainder of the contest.
Coming off the break, the Tab Baldwin-coached squad placed an emphasis on attacking the paint and utilizing their frontcourt pairing of Ladi and Adili. Just as the Blue Eagles looked comfortable with a 45-29 advantage, the home-crowd affiliates once again refused to fall behind as they summoned their outside shooters to unleash ten-straight points, 39-45.
While Kanagawa continued to capitalize on Ateneo’s turnovers, Tuano’s relentless energy on the fastbreak proved to be the catalyst in sustaining an 11-point advantage at the end of the third quarter, 58-47.
Similar to the events in the previous canto, the final quarter saw Kanagawa rally back into the game with their perimeter scoring, 56-62. Gamber, however, halted the Jays’ run with an elbow jumper off a timeout, 64-56.
In a competitive finish, Ateneo’s poise prevailed as they relied on their paint-focused approach centered around Adili. The incoming rookie repeatedly produced second-chance opportunities and baskets in the post, eventually securing the Blue Eagles’ first victory of the tournament, 76-64.
Ateneo vs Kyoto Sangyo University
Seeking to build a streak of consecutive wins, the Blue and White continued to showcase their fundamentally sound style against KSU. The first quarter started with Ateneo’s aggression in the passing lanes and incisive offensive execution, giving them an early 13-4 advantage.
With Ateneo suddenly going cold in the middle of the quarter, KSU capitalized by unleashing a 13-point barrage to trim the deficit to one, 18-17. Keeping the momentum on the Blue and White’s side, a clean pick-and-roll between Jared Bahay and Adili gave the team a three-point cushion to end the canto, 20-17.
The onset of the second quarter saw Ateneo suddenly fall behind, enduring a 9-4 run courtesy of Kyoto Sangyo’s hot shooting from deep, 24-26. Although the Blue and White defense was still unable to provide answers for KSU’s outside shooting, their renewed offensive composure led by Shawn Tuano’s seven second-quarter points ended the half in a tie game 45-all.
The start of the second half was reminiscent of a classic Ateneo third-quarter run, as Adili and Gamber’s dynamic inside-outside game sparked another 13-4 run, pulling Ateneo ahead, 58-49. Despite KSU calling a timeout, offensive outbursts from Lars Fjellvang and Lazaro boosted the Blue Eagles to end the quarter up double digits, 73-58.
Continuing to ride the hot hand, the Katipunan-based squad started out the final period with a 9-2 run via key threes from Gamber and Espina, 85-60. Despite KSU responding with a 13-point run of their own, Ateneo’s sustained offensive dominance kept them at bay to remain undefeated in the UTL, 100-79.
Looking to maintain their spotless record, the Blue Eagles will return to the same venue tomorrow, August 13, to face both the Nagoya Gakuin University at 9:00 AM and the Japan University of Economics at 12:00 PM.
