THE ATENEO Blue Eagles’ 2026 U-Belt Collegiate Invitational Cup slump extended with an 85-97 outcome against the Arellano University (AU) Chiefs. The matchup took place earlier today, May 24, at the Arellano University Gymnasium in the City of Manila.
This loss places the Blue Eagles with a 1-4 win-loss record.
Ateneo suffered an early Arellano barrage via points off turnovers from CJ Liban, 0-8. Following a timeout, one-and-done prospect Travis Roberts hit back with a three-point shot, 3-8, followed by Alden Cainglet’s quick conversion at the paint, 5-8.
Despite chipping away at the lead, the Blue and White struggled to score due to Arellano’s hounding defensive drive, missing consecutive attempts, 5-12. Recalibrating their strategies, a foul-drawing play executed by Sam Reyes granted points from the charity stripe, 7-12.
Containing the Chiefs’ early blitz, Michael Asoro and Roberts provided two buckets in a row, 11-19. Leveraging on that streak, Jelo Rota’s triple proved formidable for Ateneo, 14-23.
Stabilizing his team’s offensive rhythm, Thirdy Ebdane led the Blue Eagles with markers from the mid-range, 18-28. Cainglet then built on this momentum in his free throws and a Malcolm Tyler-assisted layup, 22-28. Resuming this newfound groove was Roberts, as he concluded the first quarter with a three-pointer, 25-30.
Ateneo stimulated a better start in the second frame courtesy of Ebdane’s shot beyond the arc, 31-41. Furthering an exchange of hoops from both squads, Tyler converted on the pick-and-roll play by Ebdane, 35-47.
Finding an opening in the paint, Chris Urbina sank two floaters to inch closer to Arellano, 44-49. However, the Katipunan-based squad’s defense was shaken by Renzo Abiera’s drives, 44-55. Tyler’s successful free throws closed the first half to keep the Blue and White in the running, 50-55.
Coming out of the halftime break, Ateneo endured early baskets from Yuan Camay and Sebastian Valencia, 50-59. Despite a triple from Cainglet, the Blue Eagles’ run was quickly impeded by King Vinoya’s conversion on the paint, 53-61. Ebdane then quickly responded with a jumper to make amends, 55-61. Still, Ebdane’s outburst was not enough to counter consecutive free throws that kept Ateneo down nine, 57-66.
While Value Nwah and Rota capitalized on the offensive glass, the Katipunan-based squad still struggled to outpace Anthony Borromeo’s productivity on the line, 60-72. Still, Ebdane remained driven. Before closing out the frame, Ebdane came in clutch and unleashed a crucial downtown shot to keep hopes alive, 67-72.
Early into the final quarter, the Blue Eagles failed to contain consecutive baskets from Valencia, 67-78. The gap widened as Ateneo came across Camay’s swift advances at 67-83. As a response, Tyler ended the drought with a field goal, 69-83.
With five minutes left, the Blue and White managed to forge a late surge. Matt De Luna made his presence felt with back-to-back shots to bridge the deficit back to nine, 74-83. However, this run would not last long as Ateneo could not restrain Abiera from a distance, 74-91.
Staying ambitious, Ebdane steered the Blue and White offense with a downtown shot of his own at 80-93. Despite this last-ditch comeback attempt, the Blue Eagles still fell short and concluded the match, 85-97.
Situated in sixth in the Group B team standings, the Blue Eagles pass up the possibility of securing an Elite Eight entry. As of writing, the Blue and White’s next schedule has yet to be announced.
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-AU: 25-30, 50-55, 67-72, 85-97
Group B Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Bulldogs (7-0)
- SBU Red Lions (5-2)
- AU Chiefs (4-2)
- CEU Scorpions (4-3)
- EAC Generals (3-2)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (1-4)
- UPHSD Altas (1-5)
- LCCM Blue Royals (0-7)
