MANILA, Philippines — Unshakeable and unbeaten for four years, the mighty Ateneo Blue Eagles have fallen. But as “humbling” as it was, the three-time defending UAAP champions see a silver lining in a stunning loss to the UP Fighting Maroons last Sunday.
Holder of 39 straight wins since 2018, the top-ranked Blue Eagles crashed back to earth following an 84-83 heartbreaker against the No. 2 Maroons at the packed MOA Arena.
“This is a good humbling experience for our organization, for me and for the team,” said coach Tab Baldwin as Ateneo blew a golden chance to go undefeated at 14-0 and book an outright finals berth.
Baldwin was quick to take the blame for the loss that sent Ateneo to a Final Four showdown with FEU, and UP against La Salle. As the top two seeds, Ateneo and UP hold a twice-to-beat edge.
Ateneo trailed early by as many as 18 points before clawing back and yielding in the end.
“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.
“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.