![Ateneo Blue Eagles UAAP Season 86](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2023/11/IMG_1095_UAAP-Season-86-mens-basketball-NU-ADMU_Ateneo-Blue-Eagles-620x413.jpg)
Ateneo Blue Eagles.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo suffered a third straight setback for the first time in a decade after a 65-61 loss to National University in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday.
Speaking on behalf of Tab Baldwin, who missed the match after being ill for the past week, Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga said they cannot dwell too much on the defeat despite dropping to fifth place with a 4-6 ‘record’.
“Of course we said one thing in the dugout. It’s normal to not feel good about the loss, so we should feel bad. I think the approach for us is that we can’t dwell on this loss because we have to play games and win games. That should be our mentality going forward,” Arespacochaga said.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves because our season is not over yet. We still have games to play and games to win, so that’s the message in the dugout, so we wanted to come together even more,” he added.
The last time Ateneo dropped three in a row was in Season 76 in 2013, when the Kiefer Ravena-led team under then-coach Bo Perasol missed the Final Four.
The Bulldogs also defeated the Blue Eagles in the elimination round for the first time since Season 77.
It may be the most losses for Baldwin since joining the UAAP in 2016, as Ateneo continues to search for their first win in the second round, but the Blue Eagles remain determined to bounce back and emerge from their struggles.
![Sandy Arespacochaga Ateneo UAAP](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2023/11/IMG_0704_UAAP-Season-86-mens-basketball-NU-ADMU_Coach-Sandy-Arespacochaga-1-620x413.jpg)
Ateneo alternate Sandy Arespacochaga.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
“The season is not over yet, that’s what we said. We are going to prepare hard, watch the band. We have a job to do. Coach Tab isn’t here. He has won a lot, but also lost a lot in his career. That’s basketball. Sometimes you win a lot, but sometimes you lose a lot, but what is important is the mentality we have,” said Arespacochaga.
“People will talk, but we cannot lose sight of our purpose and objectives. That’s why we need to be more focused on our concentration and mindset. That is why it must be collective and team thinking. We should not be distracted or even bothered by those thoughts, because that will certainly not help us.”
The decision-making down this stretch has been the Blue Eagles’ problem over the past three games. Therefore, Arespacochaga and the coaching staff will focus on reviewing their previous matches with the team.
‘We’re going to watch the tape. We’re going to discuss this with our players, especially the last few possessions, in hopes that we can point out to them what they could have done better. Decision making is very important to us, especially with the situation we find ourselves in. There was pressure in the match itself. And our position at the moment is also under great pressure,” he said. “We have to embrace the pressure and not shy away from it. As we move forward, there will be a lot of pressure on us. How we approach this is very important.”
Arespacochaga still gave NU credit for beating them in the elimination round this season, while rookie Reinhard Jumamoy turned in his best game and Jake Figueroa added the finishing touches.
“This was a difficult match for us. Of course NU is a very strong team. We stood toe to toe against them. I think Reinhard has really committed himself to NU. He really played a great match. Turn off the lights to show the UAAP who he is,” he said. “A few plays along the way for us that we could have done better, that we could have executed better. But defensively, especially in the fourth, we were happy with the way we defended. Credit to NU’s defense, they made it difficult for us to execute. That is why we will look at how we can improve our execution for the next game as well.”