TAB Baldwin was visibly upset after a lackluster display from reigning champion Ateneo in an opening-day loss to the NU Bulldogs.
READ: NU Bulldogs give title-holder Ateneo an early reality check
As the Blue Eagles begin their title defense in UAAP Season 86 on a low, the multi-titled coach was far from impressed.
"We didn’t execute our offense as well but when you give up 51 percent shooting to your opposition and get outrebounded as bad as we did, you’re not gonna win," Baldwin said after the loss to the Bulldogs," Baldwin said
"We got beaten badly, and those are the numbers you can reflect on and there are a lot more beneath those numbers that we have to take a look at. But these are the telling statistics and we should be very disappointed."
"The words that mean so much to Ateneans, ‘one big fight,’ the word ‘fight’ was left out today and that’s inexcusable," he admitted.
Ultimately, Baldwin had nothing but praise for Jeff Napa's crew who he believes had much more in the tank than the champs had all-game long.
"They did exactly what we knew they were capable of doing. They attacked the rim. Indiscriminately, we did a terrible job staying in front of our man and they got us into defensive rotations," said Baldwin.
"When you do that, you’re gonna have a hard time on the boards and if you look at our rebounding numbers, they’re pretty atrocious from our big men. By forcing us into rotations, they got access to offensive rebounds."
Baldwin also underscored the shooting efficiency of the Bulldogs, who he expects to reach great heights this season.
"We didn’t do a good job contesting their threes and finding their guys who were good shooters like Patrick Yu and Steve Nash Enriquez. You’ve gotta do those things against a good team. I think NU’s a very good team. I think they played with a lot of composure today and we didn’t," the Ateneo mentor explained.
"Credit Jeff (Napa) and the NU team. I told everybody that’s a veteran team. That’s a very composed and solid basketball team. They’re gonna be up there at the end of the season. They’re gonna be there and thereabouts. We get another shot at them at the second round but a lot of games to play before we get there," he added.
Ateneo's mountain only gets steeper from here on as it faces rival La Salle on Wednesday, 6 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.
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