Divine Adili returned from sickbay and helped Ateneo de Manila University snap a five-game losing skid at the expense of University of the East, 78-74, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Nigerian center, who was out for three games due to back issues, muscled his way to a double-double with 15 points, 10 coming in the payoff period, and 13 rebounds to power the Blue Eagles back into the win column, ending a turbulent month of losing woes.

Ateneo improved to a 5-5 win-loss record and booted out the still winless Red Warriors in the Final Four race.

“Regarding Divine, having him back, I don’t think we can overemphasize how important that is. We’ve been a team that, if you study the stats, really struggled around the basket this year… it’s pretty evident that when Divine is out there, it changes the dynamic for the team, and we got more out of him today than we expected,” Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin said.

It was Ateneo’s first win in exactly one month since defeating archrival De La Salle, 81-74, on 5 October.

UE led by as many as 11 points, 63-52, in the third quarter and entered the final period still ahead, 64-57, but Ateneo was determined to end its slump.

Behind Adili’s steady presence, the Blue Eagles reclaimed the lead on his layup with 3:46 left, 72-71. However, John Abate quickly responded for the Red Warriors with an and-one play to restore a 74-72 advantage with 2:15 remaining.

That turned out to be UE’s final basket of the game, as Ateneo sealed the win from the free throw line. Ian Espinosa and Adili combined to sink 6-of-10 free throws in the last 1:42 to complete the comeback.

Kymani Ladi had 16 markers and nine boards while Ian Espinosa scored 13 points, capped by a pair of crucial free throws that gave the Blue Eagles a four-point lead in the last 10.7 seconds. Dom Escobar added 11 markers for Ateneo, which climbed to a tie with Adamson University in fifth to sixth spot.

The Red Warriors remained winless after 10 starts.

Precious Momowei led UE with 19 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal. Abate contributed 18 points, six assists, and four rebounds.

Wello Lingolingo, returning from a three-game suspension, tallied 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists but struggled with his shooting, going just 6-of-21 from the field—including several crucial misses down the stretch.

Box 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.      

Quarter scores: 18-21, 39-40, 57-64, 78-74