THE ATENEO Blue Eagles suffered their second straight loss to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, 89-98, in the first round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88. Returning to the Loyola campus after 20 years, the match took place earlier today, October 11, at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
This match serves as the tournament’s first-ever triple-overtime result since the UAAP adopted the Final Four format in 1993. Following this loss, the Blue Eagles dropped to third in the standings with a 4-2 record.
In a valiant attempt to gift the Ateneo crowd with a victory, Team Captains Jared Bahay and Kymani Ladi led Ateneo with 17 and 14 points each, respectively. On the other hand, Nic Cabañero spearheaded UST’s offense with 22 points, followed by Forthsky Padrigao and Collins Akowe, who scored 20 each.
It was the Blue and White who set the tone early, mimicking the Growling Tigers’ run-and-gun offense to capitalize on transition opportunities and gain the early lead. Striking first blood was Shawn Tuano on a fastbreak layup following a Bahay dish, 2-0. Riding the early momentum, the Blue Eagles kept their foot on the gas as Ladi knocked down a three from the top of the key, 8-2.
Despite the occasional basket from UST, Ateneo continued its offensive onslaught. Taking center stage early on was Tuano, who continued to find his way under the basket to extend the Katipunan-based squad’s advantage, 13-4. Supplementing his energy were the likes of Dom Escobar, who sliced and diced his way to the cup, 18-6.
Switching up their offense, the Blue Eagles then took to the paint in search of opportunities at the charity stripe. This yielded success for Ateneo, as Escobar and Ladi found themselves at the free-throw line to bring the Blue Eagles’ lead to double digits, 24-14. Even with a basket from former Blue Eagle Padrigao, the quarter still ended with Ateneo up eight, 28-20.
Commencing the second canto, Ateneo went cold early on as they struggled to find the bottom of the net. Eventually igniting the offense was Tuano, who once again got things going for the Blue Eagles with a statement dunk in transition to make it 30-20.
In response, the Growling Tigers unleashed a 13-0 run, capped by shots from Cabañero at the charity stripe that put UST in the driver’s seat, 33-3o. Immediately firing back was Jaden Lazo, who sank a corner three to bring both teams to a deadlock at 33-all.
With pressure mounting on both ends of the floor, a stalemate ensued before Andrew Bongo’s coast-to-coast layup broke the ice and placed Ateneo back in front, 35-33. Further distancing from the opposition, veteran Joshua Lazaro took matters into his own hands as he slashed his way for a basket, serving as the last points of the second quarter, 37-33.
Remaining relentless in attacking the rim, the Growling Tigers opened the second half on a 6-3 stretch, 39-40. Stabilizing the Blue Eagles, a rare mid-range shot from Adili followed by another jumper from Ladi kept them in front, 44-39.
The frontcourt recruits of both teams continued to be a steady force as Adili and Ladi traded baskets with Akowe, 48-45. First to capitalize on the additional spacing created by the bigs, Lazo buried a triple, 53-47. As UST replicated the same strategy, Ateneo then conceded another 0-8 run courtesy of Padrigao and Gelo Crisostomo’s triples, 53-55.
The final period saw a defensive grudge match early on, with both squads struggling to score points. Mired by constant fouls, however, Ateneo remained at a slim two-point deficit, 56-58.
Crisostomo and Espinosa then broke the cold spell after exchanging layups, 58-60. Just as when Ateneo appeared to be frustrated with their misses and fouls, 60-63, Escobar sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a jumper, steal, and layup to miraculously take the lead, 64-63.
Riding this momentum, Adili extended the lead on an offensive putback, 66-63. However, the Growling Tigers’ hustle persisted as an offensive rebound led to a Padrigao three-pointer, tying the game at 66-all with 39 seconds remaining. Sensing the stakes on the line, both teams amped up their defensive pressure to cause consecutive turnovers and misses, which sent the game into overtime.
Both teams lit up from beyond the arc to kickstart the first overtime frame, resulting in a rollercoaster sequence. First to fire was UST’s Crisostomo at the three-minute mark, 72-69. From there, Bahay rose to the occasion anew, drilling back-to-back baskets from rainbow country before an instant retort from Padrigao to draw level with the Blue Eagles, 72-72.
As time slowly ticked away, UST managed to create separation as Crisostomo took to the skies for an easy put back, 74-72. In a last ditch effort, Tuano converted on a hook shot over Akowe to draw both teams even at 74-all. Eager to redeem himself, Ladi was once again touted to seal the game for good, but to no avail, sending the game into another five minutes of play.
Feeling the fatigue, the Blue Eagles could not buy a response against Cabañero’s three-pointer to start the second overtime, 74-77. Free throws from Paranada and Akowe further put the Blue Eagles in a deeper hole, 75-80.
Taking matters into his own hands, Bahay showed his poise by delivering another contested trey, 78-80. Despite baskets from Crisostomo, 80-84, Bahay brought the crowd-favorites back to life, first draining a three, then setting up Lazaro for a jumper to take the lead, 85-84.
UST then summoned Akowe, who drew a foul on Ateneo, and split his attempts in the charity stripe, 85-all. Following misses from both sides, the Blue Eagles had another opportunity to secure victory with two seconds left. However, the Baldwin-coached unit failed to execute once again as Bahay committed a turnover off a bad inbound pass, forcing a third overtime.
The onset of the third overtime saw fatigue swamp the Blue Eagles, immediately giving up an Akowe power play and a Cabañero and-one conversion, 85-90. Desperately trying to fight back, Ladi hoisted up a three to no avail. The lack of Adili’s defensive presence proved to be too much for Ateneo as Akowe sank a floater over two Blue Eagles, 85-94.
In another rowdy sequence for both sides, a failed Ateneo rebound found its way to Kyle Paranada, who drained a long-distance jumper for Ateneo’s biggest deficit of the contest, 87-98. As the clock wound down, the scoreboard read 89-98 in favor of the Growling Tigers.
Rounding out their first-round schedule, Ateneo will face the National University Bulldogs on Saturday, October 18, 2:00 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Box scores:
Ateneo (89): Bahay – 17, Ladi – 14, Escobar – 13, Tuano – 12, Adili – 10, Espinosa – 9, Lazo – 8, Lazaro – 4, Bongo – 2, Espina – 0, Fjellvang – 0
UST (98): Cabañero – 22, Padrigao – 20, Akowe – 20, Crisostomo – 18, Llemit – 7, Paranada – 5, Acido – 4, Buenaflor – 2, Calum – 0, Estacio – 0, Danting – 0, Laure – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UST: 28-20, 37-33, 53-55, 66-66, 74-74 (OT), 85-85 (2OT), 89-98 (3OT)
Current Standings (W-L):
- UST Growling Tigers (4-1)
- NU Bulldogs (4-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-2)
- DLSU Green Archers (2-2)
- FEU Tamaraws (1-3)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-4)
- UE Red Warriors (0-5)
