Shawn Tuano emerged as the unexpected hero for Ateneo de Manila University, delivering key fourth-quarter plays that stifled a furious late rally by De La Salle University and secured an 81-74 victory, keeping the Blue Eagles unbeaten in the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in front of 17,185 fans.
Ateneo seemed to have the game under control for most of the night. Kymani Ladi, Ian Espinosa, and Waki Espina spearheaded a dominant performance that allowed the Blue Eagles to build a massive 33-point lead, 68-35, late in the third quarter.
But La Salle refused to go quietly. The Green Archers mounted a furious comeback, rattling off 19 unanswered points to cut the deficit to just 11, 68-57, with 4:03 left on the clock.
It was then that Tuano — rather than Ateneo’s usual stars Ladi, Dom Escobar, Jaden Lazo, or co-captain Jared Bahay — stepped up.
The Villanova Preparatory School product scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, calmly converting clutch free throws to keep the Green Archers at bay.
“He hit a couple of big baskets, and the big reason we left Shawn out there was not to hit baskets. The big reason was he’s a good defender and he was making his free throws,” head coach Tab Baldwin said postgame.
Despite La Salle trimming a 75-62 lead to 77-72, Tuano’s flawless free-throw shooting ultimately sealed Ateneo’s first victory over their storied rivals since the first round of Season 86.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Baldwin emphasized that Tuano’s late-game role wasn’t just about scoring — it was about trust. The young forward’s transformation, built through relentless work behind the scenes, turned him from a shaky shooter in clutch moments into one of the night’s steadiest hands.
“He’s put in mountains of work to become a confident free-throw shooter. And tonight, he’s 7-of-7 and the team being 26 of 30. I mean, you don’t see that very often in the UAAP, and we haven’t seen that for Shawn,” Baldwin added.
“He earned the right to be out there and then he was the beneficiary of a couple of good passes and a couple of nice finishes that just build his confidence, and it builds our confidence in him.”
Tuano, however, downplayed his individual heroics, crediting his performance to simply following the guidance of his most trusted mentor.
“Whatever coach Tab says or needs me to do on the court, I got to accomplish that. So I think this is a good win for us, but like what coach Tab said, there’s a lot of learnings for us to improve as a team,” he said.
Beyond scoring, Tuano is embracing his role as one of Ateneo’s emerging leaders, alongside co-captains Ladi and Bahay and senior Joshua Lazaro, aiming to steer the Blue Eagles back to the Final Four.
“I just tried to be a leader on the floor — to compose everyone after that crazy run that they had. I kept telling everyone we have to move on to the next play after every Mike Phillips rebound,” Tuano said.
“But I think just trusting in my shot and trusting in the work that I put in the offseason, that’s what helped me to have that confidence shooting those free throws.”
