Ateneo de Manila University‘s Divine Adili against University of the East in UAAP Season 88. Photo from UAAP Media.
MANILA (UPDATED) — Ateneo de Manila University avoided disaster, narrowly surviving University of the East, 78-74, to end its five-game skid in UAAP Season 88 men's basketball on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Blue Eagles came back from down 11 all thanks to Divine Adili's 15 points — 10 of which came in the fourth — with 13 rebounds, while Kymani Ladi top-scored with 16 markers laced with nine boards.
"I don't think we can overemphasize how important Divine is for us in the points in the paint and in rebounding," said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin, as they moved back to .500 with a 5-5 record.
"We're missing a lot of open shots, indicative of a team that is searching for confidence, belief, and shot selection, but Divine's presence will help us search for those," he added.
This was indeed the case for Ateneo which finally rediscovered its form despite a scare from UE, as two of Adili's 10 markers in the fourth were what put them ahead, 72-71, with over three minutes left.
John Abate tried to avoid another collapse by answering with an and-one right after for a 74-72 Red Warriors lead, but Adili and Ian Espinosa remained steady from the foul line to complete the comeback for the Blue Eagles.
On the other hand, this was the 16th straight loss of the Red Warriors dating to Round 2 of Season 87 in 2024.
This was despite Wello Lingolingo returning after serving his three-game suspension with 19 points on four three-point bombs, Precious Momowei listing 19 markers with 18 boards, and Abate scoring 18 before fouling out.
This defeat also put the Recto-based squad out of Final 4 contention as they absorbed their 10th loss in as many games this year.
The Scores:
Ateneo 78 – Ladi 16, Adili 15, Espinosa 13, Escobar 11, Tuano 9, Espina 7, Lazaro 4, Bongo 3, Bahay 0, Lazo 0, Fjellvang 0.
UE 74 – Momowei 19, Lingolingo 19, Abate 18, Despi 8, Datumalim 6, Robles 2, Cruz-Dumont 2, Caoile 0, Lagat 0, Malaga 0.
Quarterscores: 18-21, 39-40, 57-64, 78-74.