One-two punch: Bahay, Alas key Ateneo’s win over NU

Games on Saturday:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

2:30 p.m. — NU vs UST

6 p.m. — Ateneo vs La Salle

Jared Bahay and Kieffer Alas rose to the occasion and provided the clutch plays as Ateneo de Manila University flexed its mastery over the erstwhile streaking National University (NU).

The duo’s gutsy plays in the last two minutes rescued the Blue Eagles from the jaws of defeat to once again tame the Bulldogs, 69-65, in their rematch for back-to-back wins in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 men’s basketball tournament Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After throwing bricks in his last eight attempts, Bahay found his range at the right time, hitting consecutive three-pointers.

Alas then put the finishing touches with his version of a long bomb and a split from the line as Ateneo moved up inside the top four, tied with defending champion De La Salle University in third to fourth with a 5-4 win-loss record.

“In the fourth quarter, I thought we couldn’t find our offensive rhythm, but in the last two minutes, Jared and Kieffer were able to deliver with those big shots. We all know that these two players are winners, are big-time players, and that’s what they did,” Ateneo team manager Nico Salva said.

Alas led the Blue Eagles with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals while Bahay got 16 markers.

Bahay’s twin triples turned a 59-62 deficit into a 65-62 lead with 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Alas then hit his triple, his lone three-pointer of the game, from the top of the key, which extended the Blue Eagles’ advantage to 68-62 with 35.8 seconds left.

NU’s Macmac Alfanta answered with a four-point play but missed the bonus free throw with 24.2 seconds remaining.

The Bulldogs then forced Shawn Tuano into a five-second inbound violation with 18.6 seconds left. However, Reinhard Jumamoy badly missed his three-point attempt in NU’s possession before committing an unsportsmanlike foul on Alas with 4.6 seconds remaining.

The prized rookie, however, missed both free throws awarded for the unsportsmanlike foul, but the Blue Eagles retained possession.

Taken back to the foul line, Alas split his free throws to seal the victory and complete Ateneo’s elimination-round sweep of NU, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped.

The Blue Eagles had previously defeated the Bulldogs, 87-76, in the first round, handing NU its most recent loss before it put together a four-game winning streak.

“We call it as an important shot but I guess for me it’s not that important because at the end of the day, we need to play from the first quarter,” Bahay said.

“In the fourth quarter, we couldn’t find our rhythm but we just trusted our shots,” Bahay said.

The win primed Ateneo for a rivalry rematch against La Salle on Saturday at the Big Dome.