THE ATENEO Men’s Basketball Team suffered their third straight loss, faltering against the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 66-71. The first round finale was held earlier today, October 18, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
With this loss, the Blue Eagles end the first round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament at 4-3, clinging to the fourth spot in the standings.
Despite the heartbreaking defeat, the Blue Eagles benefitted from the balanced output of recruit Jaden Lazo and junior Shawn Tuano, scoring 17 and 15 points, respectively. The Blue Eagles also saw a near triple double performance from one-and-done Dominic Escobar, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
Starting the contest displaying intense defense, the Blue Eagles stayed deadlocked with their opponents after Lazo’s quick burst to the rim, 2-all. However, the team struggled to find any offensive rhythm further, going down to 2-9 after giving up a seven-to-nothing run.
Six minutes into the first frame, Team Co-Captain Kymani Ladi finally broke the team’s cold streak with his first point of the match, 3-9. After a brief run from the Bulldogs, Lazo turned the tide for the Katipunan-based unit with consecutive field goals to end the first quarter, 11-19.
Despite the positive end to the first canto, the Blue and White opened the second quarter cold, 12-23. Unable to contain NU guard Steve Nash Enriquez, Ateneo fell victim to another 7-0 run, 12-30.
Battling back in the crucial contest, the duo of Escobar and Ian Espinosa delivered with back-to-back midrange shots, 18-32. Another 15-foot jumper from Espinosa, coupled with Escobar sinking two free throws, kept Ateneo within striking distance as the first half buzzer sounded, 22-34.
To counter the Bulldogs’ offense, the Blue Eagles stepped up their efforts on defense to atone for their persistent shooting woes. This was made evident when Ateneo forced a shot clock violation and a travel on NU’s Paul Francisco early on.
After establishing their footing, the Blue Eagles eventually got things going, as four straight points from Lazo kickstarted Ateneo’s offensive efforts, 26-37. However, the Bulldogs eventually found their rhythm, resulting in both teams trading baskets. It was shot after shot until Enriquez piled on the points with two consecutive three-pointers at the four-minute mark, 28-45.
Remaining unfazed, the Blue and White then began to fire up on offense while keeping the team’s established defensive pressure. Lighting the first spark was Tuano, courtesy of two quick baskets inside the paint, 32-47. Thereafter, Escobar created opportunities for himself both inside the shaded area and the charity stripe, 38-48. Now having built momentum, Ladi then capped off the third frame with a jumper from point-blank range, drawing the deficit to single digits, 40-48.
Commencing the final frame, Ateneo continued its offensive onslaught, beginning with two consecutive baskets from Escobar that trimmed the lead to as little as four, 44-48. Immediately after, the Blue Eagles failed to stop Bulldog Omar John as he converted on an and-one to further extend the opposition’s advantage to seven. The Katipunan-based squad then shifted gears and took the battle to the free-throw line, evidenced by Ladi’s three straight makes after being fouled from long distance, 52-55.
Once again, it was Ateneo’s defense that proved pivotal, as a forced shot clock violation on NU led to Lazo hitting a clutch three to even the score at 55-all with a minute and a half remaining. What followed was a lightning-fast sequence with Figueroa getting to the cup, which was answered by a running teardrop from Espinosa to a 57-57 deadlock.
With time winding down, NU’s Jolo Manansala found his way inside to ward the Jhocson-based outfit with a slim advantage, 59-57, forcing Head Coach Tab Baldwin to call for time. After exiting the huddle, veteran Espinosa drove hard to the rim, splitting his free throws to cut the deficit to one, 58-59. The Blue Eagles then wasted no time executing a full-court press, to which the Bulldogs escaped by finding John wide open on the other end of the floor, 58-61.
With 17 seconds left in the ball game, the Blue and White executed a tactical play that saw Lazo find the open Tuano on the wing for a game-tying three, 61-61. Together with a defensive stop from the Blue and White, the game was set for extra minutes.
Entering the overtime period with emotions running high, Lazo nailed a crucial basket from deep to keep the teams level, 64-64. After NU’s Francisco split his free throws, it was Tuano once more who delivered with a driving layup to surge Ateneo ahead, 66-65.
However, Francisco stepped up again, nailing back-to-back threes and putting Ateneo at a five-point deficit, 66-71. Struggling to hit their outside shots, the Blue Eagles were unable to respond, as neither team scored in the final two minutes, 66-71.
With the schedule for the next round of Men’s Basketball action still to be announced, the Blue Eagles return to the drawing board to unpack the first half of their UAAP Season 88 campaign.
Box scores:
Ateneo (66): Lazo – 17, Tuano – 15, Escobar – 14, Espinosa – 10, Ladi – 9, Ong – 1, Bongo – 0, Lazaro – 0, Nieto – 0, Espina – 0, Gamber – 0
NU (71): Figueroa – 13, Francisco – 13, Enriquez – 12, John – 11, Manansala – 9, Santiago – 7, Jumamoy – 3, Palacielo – 2, Garcia – 1, Dela Cruz – 0, Padrones – 0, Tulabut – 0, Parks – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-NU: 11-19, 22-34, 40-48, 61-61, 66-71 (OT)
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Bulldogs (6-1)
- UST Growling Tigers (5-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (4-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-3)
- DLSU Green Archers (3-3)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-4)
- FEU Tamaraws (1-5)
- UE Red Warriors (0-6)
