ONCE AGAIN, Ateneo’s late-game play proved inferior to its opponent.
This time, it was twice-to-beat seeking University of the Philippines that stood in the Blue Eagles' way, overtaking them halfway through the final frame to get the 79-75 victory.
READ: Abadiano wills UP past Ateneo all the way to twice-to-beat
After mounting a lead as big as 16, 23-7 early in the second quarter, the Maroons fought their way all the way back, outscoring their Katipunan neighbors in every succeeding quarter.
Ateneo’s core players came to play, with Jared Bahay dropping a season-high 21 points, including five triples, but the battle of point guards tipped to State U's favor this time around.
“Gerry had a great game,” Bahay said of UP captain Gerry Abadiano, who killed the blue-and-white time and again with his signature 'Gerry Shot.'
“Credits to Gerry, so good. I think it’s all about individual defense. We got down and we talked about it. We gotta do better, lalo na next game namin sila [Adamson's Mathew] Montebon tsaka si [Matty] Erolon.”
Abadiano had merely two points at halftime, but got to work in the final frame, giving Bahay and Co. the business to finish with 18 markers.
While the Blue Eagles had very little margin for error to begin with, State U's superior late-game execution took over, as it dominated Ateneo 31-21 to close the game.
“It was still a close game, regardless. I think they were, we were in it the whole time. But yeah, just small defensive breakdowns, just what kind of got us,” added Kymani Ladi, who backed Bahay up with 17 points and eight rebounds.
And just like how its finishing kick against University of Santo Tomas last Saturday fell short, it did so once more in this 'Battle of Katipunan.'
As Bahay put it, “How to finish games lang. Yun na lang talaga. We're always there with the opponents, yun na lang yung naayusin namin.”
Ateneo's two big fights
With the Blue Eagles having lost eight of their last nine, head coach Tab Baldwin lamented their individualistic play has gotten the better of them more than a few times.
According to Bahay, the problem was addressed within the team, wherein Baldwin was integral in them rediscovering their abundance of options.
“I think we already talked about it. Yung nga, diniscuss ko na best shot possible. If you have a good shot, there's always a better shot. So we give it to the better shot. Wala naman siguro yung hero ball. Na-discuss na namin yan,” he said.
Ladi, meanwhile, emphasized their need to collectively lock in, especially since their upcoming bout against Adamson can potentially turn into a knockout game, pending the results of Saturday’s game between UP and La Salle.
"I think for us, it's just being connected and staying together in these moments. With these games being so close, I think that's really important for us. We have the ability to stay together, eventually we should just come out with a win," he said.
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