It wasn't a pretty victory.
The entire stretch of Katipunan probably heaved a collective sigh of relief on Wednesday after the Ateneo Blue Eagles staved off the UE Red Warriors for a hard-earned 80-74 win in UAAP Season 86 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Ateneo improved to 7-6 for a tighter grasp of fourth place. UE, on the other hand, dropped to 4-9 and is now out of contention for the last spot in the Final Four.
The Red Warriors cut the lead to five, 76-71, with only 18.2 seconds left after sniper Ethan Galang sank a three-pointer. But the Blue Eagles managed to hold on, sinking critical free throws to escape with the victory.
Rookie guard Jared Brown led the way for Ateneo with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting from long distance. He was backstopped by high-leaping forward Kai Ballungay with 15 points, four boards, and five dimes.
Brown, however, admitted that they played poorly in the fourth quarter. Ateneo erected a 13-point lead midway in the final frame but UE refused to budge, racking up outside shots to cut the lead to four, 72-68, with a little over two minutes remaining.
"I just feel like we weren't as locked in and personally, I made some turnovers that I made because I wasn't locked in and that's what killed us," said Brown in a media release.
Coach Tab Baldwin, meanwhile, had a more scathing assessment of his team.
"I thought we looked a little bit disinterested today. There was no excuse for that. It's disappointing turning the ball over as much as we did and not be more dominant in the rebounding when they're missing Precious (Momowei) and we had a significant size advantage," said Baldwin in a media release.
Ateneo had a +12 edge in rebounds, 42-30.
The endgame poise of the Blue Eagles, however, was enough to seal the win.
Spitfire guard Rey Remogat once again starred with 22 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and three steals for UE, which played without their inside anchor in Momowei, who was suspended due to two unsportsmanlike fouls.
With Ateneo's triumph, the pressure is on for the Adamson Soaring Falcons to also win their game against the NU Bulldogs later today to stay in the hunt for the last ticket to the Final Four.
There's a tinge of dramatic undertone there since Adamson coach Nash Racela recently accused Ateneo of being favored by the referees and the UAAP to enter the Final Four.
Catch the game between Adamson and NU later live at 6 p.m. on One Sports, the UAAP Varsity Channel, and the Pilipinas Live app.