THE ATENEO Blue Eagles kicked off their 2026 AsiaBasket NSAC College Basketball Campus Tour stint with a 71-64 victory against the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Pirates. The matchup took place earlier today, April 11, at the San Beda University RC Gym in the City of Manila.
This win situates the Blue Eagles at the top of the Group A standings with a 1-0 win-loss record.
Highly-touted rookie Kieffer Alas led the Blue and White with 21 points and two assists. Meanwhile, Grayson Rogers and Sultan Baruwa followed suit with nine points apiece.
The first quarter saw a slow start for Ateneo as LPU’s Mclaude Guadaña set the tone of the match with a floater, 1-3. The Katipunan-based squad made efforts to disrupt the Pirates’ momentum, but failed to read Mathew Rubico’s steal and quick shot, 1-9.
With the Blue Eagles seeing more aggression on LPU’s defensive drive, center Divine Adili answered on the other end and delivered in the paint, laced with a free throw at 5-9. Alas boosted this newfound groove via a mid-range bucket, 8-11.
To further cut into the deficit, Jared Bahay was able to steal and score for the Blue and White, giving Ateneo their first lead, 12-11. As the Pirates’ Rubico started building up his confidence, the Tab Baldwin-coached unit capitalized on Alas’s foul-drawing ability to close out the first quarter on top, 16-13.
Baruwa and newcomer Logan Baltazar spearheaded the opening minutes of the second quarter for the Blue Eagles, highlighted by an emphatic dunk shot from Baruwa, 22-13. As the Pirates’ defense began to crack, Alas leveraged the opening with a bucket in between three defenders, 25-13.
Further cementing the Blue and White’s synergy, a jumper from Rogers extended the lead to 31-16. However, the Katipunan-based squad fell into a slump defensively, faltering over Guadaña’s tactics on the layup, 31-18. Following the next three exchanges in possession, Ateneo entered a scoring drought, missing consecutive shot attempts.
The Blue Eagles absorbed a 14-0 run courtesy of Pirates’ Jonathan Daileg and Rubico’s offensive movements. However, back-to-back perimeter shots from LPU destabilized Ateneo’s momentum, 31-30. Despite this blazing run by the Intramuros-based squad, Kyle Gamber remained unfazed and delivered a three-pointer to keep Ateneo ahead at the conclusion of the second frame, 36-30
To widen the gap, Bahay converted on a jumper at the start of the second half, countering Pirate Renz Villegas’s long shot, 38-33. Alas continued his offensive outburst with a mid-range jumper and long bomb for the double-digit lead, 45-35. This then extended to an 8-0 run with the aid of Baruwa and Jelomar Rota, 49-35.
However, the Blue Eagles faced difficulty against LPU Daileg’s offensive proficiency, 51-43. Still, Alas remained unfazed, unleashing a perimeter shot to end the frame at 57-44.
Refusing to get comfortable, Andrew Bongo powered the Blue and White rally with a bucket inside the paint to start the fourth quarter, 59-46. Baltazar then aided Ateneo, draining both his charity points at 62-48. While LPU made efforts to catch up, Alas countered with his third downtown shot for a 65-49 upper hand. However, the Blue Eagles encountered LPU’s Lyon Pallingayan, who stepped up with a jumper at 69-53.
LPU denied Ateneo from leaving without a fight, as the Blue and White failed to contain Pirates Desmond Colian and Jerome Almario’s respective baskets, 71-59. Still, the Pirates’ efforts were not enough as the game concluded with the score reading 71-64 in the Blue Eagles’ favor.
Eager to remain undefeated, the Blue Eagles will face the De La Salle – College of St. Benilde Blazers on Saturday, April 18, at the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
Box scores:
Ateneo (71): Alas – 21, Rogers – 9, Baruwa – 9, Baltazar – 8, Bahay – 6, Gamber – 6, Adili – 4, Bongo – 2, Espinosa – 2, Espina – 2, Rota – 2
LPU (63): Panelo – 13, Guadaña – 9, Villegas – 8, Rubico – 8, Ondoa – 6, Colian – 6, Almario – 4, Pallingayan – 4, Villaver – 3, Aurigue – 2, Dollente – 1
Quarter/Set scores:
Ateneo-LPU: 16-13, 36-30, 57-44, 71-64
Group A Current Standings (W-L):
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (1-0)
- CSB Blazers (0-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-0)
- LPU Pirates (0-1)
