BY John Miles Arcenal
IT was there for University of the East - until it wasn't.
The Red Warriors were a few possessions away from pulling off an upset, but costly errors late in the game turned the tide in their 60-62 loss to Ateneo, dropping them to 0-2 in UAAP Season 88.
READ: Ateneo wins second straight nail-biter this time against UE
Head coach Chris Gavina admitted that while his team executed enough to put themselves in a winning position, key moments did not go their way.
“Obviously, the result wasn’t what we were expecting. We lost by a couple of calls, a couple of misses, and a lack of recognition of who was on the floor when [Kymani] Ladi hit that three,” he said, referring to the go-ahead basket by the Blue Eagles' one-and-done stud
UE’s defense kept it alive despite a poor shooting night from its top guns in Welo Lingolingo and John Abate, but Gavina pointed to Nico Mulingtapang’s late turnover that led to Lingolingo’s unsportsmanlike foul, a sequence that ultimately deprived them of their first win of the season.
“We were up two, and then that turnover by Nico at the end where we didn’t get a clean shot, and then the unsportsmanlike foul. Those incidents really played a part in how the game came about,” he stressed.
The first-year head coach also emphasized that the loss of team captain Abate, who fouled out in the closing minutes, was a huge blow for the Red Warriors.
“John not only has the ability to score, but also serves as an extra decision-maker on the floor,” he explained.
Charge it to experience for UE
While disappointed, Gavina urged his young squad to treat the defeat as a lesson in decision-making under pressure.
As he put it, “We’ve got a lot of young guys, and our decision-making could decide whether we’re going to take a shot that’s 20-percent likely to go in vs. generating a 70–80-percent shot.”
“That comes from reviewing tape and breaking it down, so we can guarantee clean looks when the opportunity is there.”
Despite the heartbreak, Gavina took solace in how close they played against an Ateneo side that finds itself alone atop the leaderboard early on in the tournament.
“Like I told these guys, on any given night, anybody can win in the UAAP, including us,” he said.
“We just showed that against a very tough Ateneo team loaded with one-and-dones who know how to win. Next time, we just need the breaks to fall our way.”
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