Finally, Ateneo de Manila University found an answer to a two-year-old puzzle.
The Blue Eagles banked on the clutch performance of Jared Bahay and the hot debut of Kymani Ladi to pull off a thrilling 86-83 overtime win over Far Eastern University in Season 88 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament on Saturday at the Quadricentennial Pavilion inside the University of Santo Tomas campus.
The 19-year-old Bahay, the star playmaker from Cebu, knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to spark their late fightback before setting up newcomer Ladi for the go-ahead basket.
Then, Ladi nailed a three-pointer on top of the key in the final 10.1 seconds before Jorrick Bautista responded with a trey of his own for an 85-83 count with 4.2 seconds left.
Bahay applied finishing touches by nailing his technical free throw before stealing the ball away from Mo Konateh and Shawn Tuano to seal their first victory over the Tamaraws since Season 85.
“Welcome back to the UAAP. It looks like it’s going to be that kind of year,” said head coach Tab Baldwin, heaving a sigh of relief not just for overcoming their first challenge of the season but also for inking a fresh contract that will keep him at Ateneo until 2029.
“Proud of the team stepping to the job and getting across the finish line. This game was won on talent and not on tactics and coaching ability, but it’s not the kind of performance that’s indicative of the team that will get to the playoffs.”
Baldwin said he challenged his new captain — Bahay — to display his leadership now that he is already in his second season with the Blue Eagles.
“I challenged him to lead the team better, and to really settle into a role of a point guard who is also a coach on the floor,” Baldwin added.
“Jared has always had a good scoring ability and has great leadership ability, but he has to integrate those two into how he plays.”
Ladi, who vowed to make an impact in his lone season with the Blue Eagles after playing his four years of college eligibility at Merritt College in California, was good as advertised, finishing with 26 points on 10-of-22 shooting along with nine rebounds, three assists and a block.
Another one-and-done recruit in Dom Escobar added 16 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes of action before sitting out in the crucial stretch due to cramps.
Bahay, the former Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu star, scored 10 of his 13 points in the final 7:29 on play on top of five assists and four steals.
Nigerian center Divine Adili, who did not start due to back issues, still added seven points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal for Ateneo, which has a track record of parading solid foreign student-athletes.
.Janrey Pasaol narrowly missed a triple-double with 24 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, while Bautista also scored 24 points for the Tamaraws, who battered the Blue Eagles in the rebounding department, 59-45, thanks to Konateh’s 23 pulls.
Konateh, who was part of the Mythical Team selection last year, added 11 points after nearly playing the entire game.
The Scores:
ATENEO (86) — Ladi 26, Escobar 16, Bahay 13, Lazo 9, Adili 7, Espina 5, Bongo 5, Tuano 3, Ong 2, Lazaro 0, Espinosa 0, Gamber 0, Nieto 0.
FEU (83) — Pasaol 24, Bautista 24, Konateh 11, Felipe 7, Montemayor 6, Daa 4, Owens 3, Mongcopa 2, Ona 2, Macapagal 0.
QUARTERS: 24-22, 40-34, 61-55, 74-74, 86-83.