The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles woke up on the right side of bed as they defeated their archrivals, the De La Salle University Green Archers, 81-74, to stay undefeated in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

At the end of the third quarter, the Blue Eagles had already built an enormous 30-point lead, 68-38. In the fourth quarter, the Green Archers, led by Mason Amos, Mike Phillips, EJ Gollena, and Kean Baclaan, continued to fight for a win, scoring 36 points in the quarter.

However, Ateneo’s massive lead in the first three quarters proved to be enough for them to stay unbeaten in the tournament.

“Obviously, full credit to La Salle and the comeback they made in the fourth quarter. I think we have a choice to talk about three quarters of basketball or one quarter, and we’ll do both in the confines of our dugout and our next practice,” said Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin.

“We’ll talk about that the way we played in the three quarters is just about as good as an Ateneo team has played for me, I think, and that’s a big statement. And then in the fourth quarter, we played about as badly as an Ateneo team has played for me. Fortunately, it was only one quarter.”

Kymani Ladi and Dom Escobar both had an almost double-double performance of 15 points and nine rebounds apiece. Shawn Tuano also scored 15 points.

For the Green Archers, Mike Phillips had a monster double-double performance of 17 points, 20 rebounds, and six assists, while Kean Baclaan finished the game with 13 points and seven rebounds. Jacob Cortez added 10 points.

Earlier that day, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws tallied their first-ever win of the season against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 64-58.

In the dying minutes of the game, it was Janrey Pasaol’s corner triple that stopped the fight coming from the side of the Soaring Falcons, maintaining their lead for over a minute to win the game.

“We’re grateful that God put us in this place to be an example of resilience because we could have easily feel pretty down about ourselves. But what I like about my guys was after the disappointing loss to La Salle, we actually worked even hard,” said Tamaraws head coach Sean Chambers.

Mo Konateh once again had a monster double-double performance of 18 points and 21 rebounds, while Kirby Mongcopa contributed 15 points and five rebounds. Pasaol finished the game with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

For the side of the Soaring Falcons, Matthew Montebon was the lone double-digit scorer with 14 points and seven rebounds.

15, 9

One-and-done players Kymani Ladi and Dom Escobar are instrumental in Ateneo’s fourth straight win of the season, successfully defending their perfect record against their archrivals.

Before donning the blue and white, Ladi and Escobar first played for different universities in Los Angeles. Still, they can proudly say that the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry is more deafening.

Escobar said after the game, “Man, it was something I’ve never experienced before. But the coaches and all the former players they’ve emphasized how much this rivalry meant to them. And they take a lot of pride with it.”

“Just with preparation throughout this whole week, you know, it kind of gives you that extra edge to play harder and to make sure that we come out with a win. But like I said, it was nothing like I’ve ever experienced. And I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and playing UP next week.”

Speaking with TieBreaker Times, Ladi could not hide his excitement as the energy of the crowd brushed off on him.

He was quoted as saying, “It felt just like a regular game to me, honestly. I did feel the tension in the air, and it was a fun game. There were a lot of competitors on the court, and we all played our hardest. It was a good game.”

“For this game, it was a very big crowd, and it will be one of many that I have to get used to, and that brings the fire out of me by playing in these crowds. I love the energy.”

15

Aside from Escobar and Ladi, Shawn Tuano also scored 15 points, nine points in the fourth quarter, to help the Blue Eagles stay afloat and eventually win the game.

After the game, Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin sang praises to Tuano, who shot all seven of his free throws. He said, “He hit a couple of big baskets, and the big reason we left Shawn out there was not to hit baskets. The big reason was he’s a good defender, and he was making his free throws.”

“He’s put in mountains of work to become a confident free-throw shooter. And tonight, he’s 7-of-7 and the team is 26-of-30. I mean, you don’t see that very often in the UAAP, and we haven’t seen that for Shawn.

“He earned the right to be out there, and then he was the beneficiary of a couple of good passes and a couple of nice finishes that just build his confidence, and it builds our confidence in him.

Despite his impressive performance, Tuano echoed Coach Tab’s statement but reminded everyone that the road ahead is still long. He said, “Whatever coach Tab says or needs me to do on the court, I’ve got to accomplish that. So, I think this is a good win for us, but like what coach Tab said, there’s a lot of learning for us to improve as a team.”

After all, Tuano needed to trust himself and the effort he put up during the offseason, not to mention being one of the leaders on the floor alongside co-captains Ladi and Jared Bahay, and senior Joshua Lazaro.

“I just tried to be a lead on the floor – to compose everyone after that crazy run that they had. I kept telling everyone we have to move on to the next play after every Mike Phillips rebound. But I think, just trusting in my shot and trusting in the work that I put in the offseason, that’s what helped me to have the confidence shooting those free throws.”

25/45

If the Blue Eagles made 26 of their 30 free throws, the opposite can be said to the Green Archers, who only made 25 of their 45 free throws.

After the game, Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson absorbed the loss but remained motivated since it’s just the beginning of the season.

“We try to get better. You’re not going to win a game if you miss 20 free throws. But what else do you want to hear from me about it? If it’s something we need to practice, we do. We just have to roll with the punches,” he said after the game.

“You’re going to get crucified for that – I don’t care. What matters is how we improve mentally and how we respond.”

6

In 25 minutes of action, Blue Eagle-turned-Green Archer Mason Amos only scored six points. Even before the start of the game, he was already on the receiving side of the boos from the fans of his former school.

“Honestly, I don’t care about being the talk of the town stuff. I’m not reading any of that. I know there’s a lot of hate, but it really doesn’t bother me. People can say whatever they want about me. I’m just gonna do my own thing and play for La Salle as best as I can. That’s all I’m gonna do,” he said.