For the second straight meeting, the Ateneo Blue Eagles once again kept the NU Bulldogs’ leash intact after catching fire in the dying minutes to steal a 69-65 victory in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, October 28, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Despite a rough shooting night, Jared Bahay found his stroke when it mattered most, hitting two consecutive threes from the opposite wings to pull the Blue Eagles away and climb to a 5-4 record, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
The 5-foot-9 guard shot only 37.5% from the field overall but still tallied 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals, including four three-pointers. Postgame, Bahay reiterated that his duties of facilitating plays on the court remain his top priority even as he shot down the Bulldogs down the stretch with his timely triples.
“I always remind myself not to look to score. Facilitate first, defense first. Scoring is always going to come to me. Always patient lang, ‘yun lang masasabi ko,” Bahay said postgame. “[Just] trusting my work. Lahat ng mga tinitira ko, pinaghihirapan ko naman, pinag-work ko naman ‘yun. Confidence lang… [at] maraming dasal,” he added.
Bahay Commends Maturity of Rookie Kieffer Alas
Bahay also acknowledged the confidence of rookie teammate Kieffer Alas to steer the Ateneo offense in crunch time after hitting a crucial three with less than a minute to go to put the game out of reach.
The team captain expressed enjoyment in playing with Alas, who finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, while praising his high basketball IQ despite only making his collegiate debut less than two months ago.
“Ever since, sobrang excited ko naman na makasama ko si Kieffer sa team… Sobrang nag-eenjoy ako kasi mapag-aasahan talaga siya, I trust him a lot,” Bahay said of Alas. “Sobrang grabe ‘yung jump ng growth niya… mature na siya ngayon. ‘Yun yung pinaka-gusto ko sa kanya, kahit rookie pa siya, ‘yung utak niya iba, mature siya,” he added.
Bahay and Ateneo will look to exact revenge for their Round 1 loss to their archrivals, the La Salle Green Archers, on Saturday, October 31, at the same venue.
