THE ATENEO Blue Eagles vanquished the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons for their third straight victory in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88, 77-58. The match was held earlier today, September 28, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
With this win, Ateneo claims the solo first seed in the standings at 3-0, marking their best start since Season 84.
Leading the charge was rookie center Divine Adili, who fronted 16 points on 70% from the field and six rebounds to claim Player of the Game honors. Teammate Jaden Lazo also had a strong showing, scoring 15 markers on 6/8 shooting from the field.
A cold spell plagued both teams on offense to kickstart the first frame, as neither squad was able to make baskets. Keeping the Blue and White in the fight was Dom Escobar, whose crafty drives to the basket allowed him to score four points for Ateneo from the charity stripe, 4-4. Capitalizing on their newfound strategy, the Katipunan-based squad continued to crash the glass, which resulted in points for Adili at the free-throw line after an offensive rebound, 6-6.
As a stalemate continued to develop, AdU’s Ray Allen Torres then turned on the jets with a three following a switch on the pick and roll, 9-6. In response, Ateneo embarked on an 8-0 run, beginning with an and-one play from Adili, 9-9, and capped off by an Ian Espinosa-Kymani Ladi alley-oop connection, 14-9. The California-native did not stop there, as he utilized his signature pull-up jumper, further extending Ateneo’s advantage, 16-11. With Adamson struggling to find their footing, floor general Jared Bahay dished out a strong bullet pass to Lazo for an easy transition layup to close the quarter, 18-11.
Both teams started to wax hot from deep as Ladi traded three-pointers with AdU’s Matthew Erolon to open the second period, 21-14. Forced to amp up their defense after another Erolon triple, the Blue Eagles’ lead vanished with paint baskets from Cedrick Manzano and OJ Ojarikre to tie the game at 21-all.
Sensing urgency, Ateneo surged to a 7-0 run courtesy of pesky defense and Espinosa’s playmaking abilities, 28-21. In a quarter dictated by runs, however, a pair of free throws from Matthew Montebon capped off a 9-5 stretch for Adamson to cut Ateneo’s advantage at the end of the first half, 33-30.
Contrary to the start of the opening half, both teams ignited their offensive firepower for the third period. It was Adamson who struck first blood with a swift 7-0 run, led by big man Manzano, to put the Ermita-based squad in the driver’s seat, 33-37. Despite initial pushback with a three from Waki Espina, 36-37, the Blue Eagles had no response to the Soaring Falcons’ barrage, 36-42.
Ateneo then resorted to long-range shots, displaying great ball movement in the process. This allowed the Katipunan-based squad to get clean looks from all ends of the floor, exemplified by baskets from both Ladi and Adili to trim the deficit to one, 41-42. With momentum on the Blue Eagles’ side, a three from Espinosa ultimately placed Ateneo in front with three minutes remaining in the canto, 48-46. However, a technical foul on Espinosa led to a free throw for Montebon, leaving the score at 51-48 to end the frame.
In what appeared to be a grind-out battle for three quarters, Lazo quickly created separation at the start of the fourth with a three-pointer and fastbreak layup, 56-48. Baskets from Lazaro and Adili then continued Ateneo’s offensive onslaught, 60-48.
Relentless in their pursuit of the win, the Blue and White widened the gap with outside shooting for their largest lead of the game, 68-49. Ateneo’s suffocating pressure on the defensive end hounded Adamson from scoring as they held their opponents to zero fourth-quarter field goals with under three minutes remaining.
Although Erolon’s back-to-back triples broke the Falcons out of their shooting struggles, 56-71, Lazo responded with another steal and fastbreak layup, 75-56, sending the Ateneo crowd into a frenzy. With time on their side, Ateneo cruised to a 77-58 victory behind a 26-10 scoring explosion in the final period.
Despite the win, Espinosa was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter after accumulating his second technical foul. Under UAAP rules, his automatic suspension for the following game is subject to review.
Looking to extend their winning streak, the Blue Eagles will face their archrival De La Salle University Green Archers on Sunday, October 5, 4:30 PM, at the Mall of Asia Arena in the City of Pasay.
Box scores:
Ateneo (77): Adili – 16, Lazo – 15, Ladi – 14, Espinosa – 10, Escobar – 8, Lazaro – 6, Bahay – 3, Espina – 3, Nieto – 2, Tuano – 0, Bongo – 0, Gamber – 0, Cainglet – 0, Ebdane – 0, Fjellvang – 0, Ong – 0
Adamson (58): Erolon – 23, Torres – 7, Manzano – 6, Ojarikre – 6, Anabo – 5, Montebon – 5, Demisana – 2, Fransman – 2, Cañete – 2, A. Ronzone – 0, C. Ronzone – 0, Perez – 0, Barcelona – 0, Medina – 0, Jaymalin – 0, Tumaneng – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 18-11, 33-30, 51-48, 77-58
Current Standings (W-L):
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (3-0)
- UST Growling Tigers (2-0)
- NU Bulldogs (2-0)
- DLSU Green Archers (1-1)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (1-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-2)
- FEU Tamaraws (0-2)
- UE Red Warriors (0-3)
