Ateneo finally breaks its slump with a breakthrough win in UAAP Season 87 against the Adamson Soaring Falcons.
Chris Koon made a triumphant return to the Ateneo Blue Eagles lineup, helping the Katipunan-based squad barge into the win column with an escape act against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 60-51, in UAAP Season 87 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, September 21.
After missing two games due to injury from their season opener against UP, Koon spearheaded a strong start by the Blue Eagles as he powered Ateneo to an 11-point lead by the end of the opening frame, 17-6.
Even as the Blue Eagles led by as many as 16, 44-28, after a Kyle Gamber triple with 3:11 left in the third quarter, the Soaring Falcons didn’t go down without a fight.
Clamping down on defense, the Soaring Falcons limited the Blue Eagles to just one field goal in the fourth quarter, and were within three points, 54-51, after Cedrick Manzano’s clutch free throws with 1:04 ticks left in regulation.
But the difference-making shots just couldn’t fall for the Soaring Falcons and the Blue Eagles took care of business in the charity stripe to finish the game on a 6-0 run to seal the victory.
Despite the subpar showing in the fourth quarter, Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin said that it was part of the development for the young Blue Eagles.
“We’re obviously very happy. The guys fought really hard. I said early on that we will be a team that plays in patches… The fourth quarter was a really bad patch but we survived it. We took care of our third quarter woes, at least for this game,” said Baldwin.
It was an all-around team effort for Ateneo as eight players scored at least five points in the grind-out victory.
Koon and Kristian Porter both had eight points each, with the latter also ending up with 10 rebounds as well.
Shawn Tuano was the only Blue Eagle in double-digit scoring with 11 points, to go along with four rebounds, and one assist.
Meanwhile, Manzano topscored in the losing effort for Adamson with 14 points. He also had seven rebounds, two assists, and a block.
Ateneo thus improved to a 1-3 record, picking up a breakthrough win after the school’s worst start to a UAAP season since Season 76 in 2013. The Soaring Falcons dropped to an even 2-2.
The Blue Eagles will hope to build a win streak when they face the FEU Tamaraws on Sunday, September 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Meanwhile, Adamson will seek a bounce back against a reeling NU Bulldogs squad earlier in the week on Wednesday, September 25, also at the Big Dome.