ATENEO coach Tab Baldwin accepted the blame for the Blue Eagles’ first loss in nearly two years on Sunday at the close the eliminations of the UAAP Season 84 seniors basketball tournament.
Baldwin admitted he made a couple of strategic miscues early in the game which led to the Blue Eagles falling behind to the quick-fire Maroons, 27-13, at the end of the first quarter at the MOA Arena.
[See UP Maroons put an end to Ateneo's 39-game win streak]
Baldwin also gave credit to University of the Philippines coach Goldwin Monteverde for leading his team to the 84-83 win that snapped Ateneo’s 39-game winning streak.
“A great game of basketball,” said Baldwin. “Give a lot of credit to Goldwin and the UP players especially with the way they came out of the blocks at the beginning of the game. I made some tactical mistakes early. It contributed to digging a hole for our team.”
The loss was the first in the collegiate league since Ateneo dropped a 63-60 decision to Far Eastern University on October 10, 2018 to arrange a traditional Final Four format starting on Wednesday.
Baldwin said Ateneo did climb back from a deficit that reached as high as 18 points, but by the end game, UP was also hitting its shots.
Malik Diouf led the UP attack with 18 points and 16 rebounds, including a huge rebound off an Ateneo miss in the dying seconds to keep the lead intact.
“UP was really ready, they played really well, they hit shots, and it’s a case of digging out to that hole throughout the game. We climbed out of it a couple of times but it was two teams, at that point, that were playing hard and desperate basketball.
"They made bigger shots,” said Baldwin.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph