By John Bryan Ulanday
ONCE unshakeable atop of the UAAP stratum for four long years, the mighty Ateneo had fallen. But as “humbling” as its collapse was, the three-time defending champion still sees a silver lining that would only clear the way for its flight to greater heights along the way.
Holder of 39 straight wins since 2018, the Blue Eagles got sent crashing back to Earth over the weekend by rival University of the Philippines with a tough 84-83 heartbreaker that they are hoping to serve as a much-needed wake-up call moving forward.
“This a good humbling experience for our organization, for me and for the team,” said coach Tab Baldwin as Ateneo lost a golden chance to go undefeated at 14-0 and book an outright finals berth with their lone yet biggest defeat of the season.
Riding on a 13-0 start including a 90-81 win in the opener against the Fighting Maroons, the Blue Eagles marched into the second part of the “Battle of Katipunan” brimming with hopes only to be spoiled by the slimmest of margins.
Baldwin said it’s his fault as the erstwhile invincible Ateneo team that trounced its first 13 assignments by an average gap of 18 points played catch-up basketball in a rare scenario against a spirited University of the Philippines (UP) side.
Ateneo trailed early by as many as 18 points before clawing back and figuring in a nip-and-tuck battle for only the first time in a long while with Ricci Rivero draining two crucial free throws to win it for UP.
“I made some tactical mistakes early and that hurt us. It contributed to digging a hole for our team and UP was really ready. They played really well and it’s just a case of trying to dig out of that hole right throughout the game,” Baldwin admitted.
“We haven’t been in that situation. I thought we didn’t have good composure and good decision making in that situation. Like anything else, you need those in order to be good at those,” he added.
Fortunately for the Blue Eagles, they are still the No. 1 seed in the traditional Final Four format with a twice-to-beat incentive against No. 4 Far Eastern University (FEU) for a still handsome four-peat chance as their ultimate goal from the beginning.
“That’s just the way it is. You don’t win them all and it’s not a question if you can’t win them all (because) you can but nobody ever has. So the truth is, you don’t win them all and now it’s just a case of regrouping, bouncing back and getting ready for a tough FEU team,” he vowed.