After beginning the second round with a rough patch, Ateneo de Manila University seems to have regained its rhythm, picking up two crucial wins in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament.
The Blue Eagles endured a loss to the undefeated National University to close the first round.
Back-to-back defeats to the Lady Bulldogs and defending champion University of Santo Tomas then followed to open the second round.
However, Ateneo broke its three-game slump with a 70-57 victory over rival De La Salle University. It then solidified its hold on the fourth spot with a 75-66 win against the University of the Philippines last Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“Well, a win is a win. I think we tried to focus on what we can control so ngayon ko lang nalaman na Adamson is in [the Final Four],” said Blue Eagles head coach LA Mumar, as Adamson became the third team to secure a Final Four slot, leaving just one spot available.
“For us, the target is to win three of the last four or something like that. We got two wins now. Hopefully, we can start getting a little bit of momentum.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite the win, Mumar expressed dissatisfaction with his team’s performance against the Fighting Maroons, citing their 32 turnovers and numerous errors.
While pleased with the victory, he emphasized that this level of play would not suffice if the Blue Eagles aim to fulfill their championship aspirations.
“We were terrible today. I’m happy with the win, don’t get me wrong, but we played so bad,” said the former Lyceum-Cavite coach.
“Hopefully, we can polish some things moving forward talaga. Kasi ang dami naming errors – 32 turnovers kami – and that’s not gonna cut it sa dream namin of winning a championship,” he continued.
Ateneo (6-5) currently holds the fourth spot, with a comfortable two-and-a-half-game lead over UP (3-6), putting them on pace to secure the last berth in the Final Four.
Still, Mumar cautioned his players against complacency as they gear up for their final three games against Far Eastern University, University of the East, and Adamson University.
“We have to prepare for FEU; they played well against us [in the first round]. We just need to start playing better. This was a good win – credits to UP for the game plan – but we did not play according to our standards,” he said.
“There’s more to us, I know there’s more to us moving forward, and we just have to dig down deep and find it. ‘Yung championship-caliber Ateneo basketball. So hopefully, mahanap namin.”
