RANGED against archrival La Salle that had its back against the ropes, Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin was pleased his charges got the job done last Saturday night.
“La Salle was very tough. I think one thing that made our win a little bit more special is that we realized that everybody knows that La Salle’s back is against the wall and they’re very desperate in this game,” Baldwin said. “That made them more dangerous and made them tougher. In the first quarter, you could see their intensity, their determination, and their focus.
“We weathered the storm and then that third quarter was pretty decisive,” he added.
Baldwin spoke after the Blue Eagles ripped the Green Archers 68-54 for their sixth win in the 85th UAAP basketball tournament.
The runaway triumph made up for Ateneo’s stinging 74-78 loss to National University five days ago and hiked their mark to 7-3 for solo third.
La Salle failed to end its woes, dropping to its fourth straight defeat, counting a 53-57 setback at the hands of Far Eastern University last Wednesday for a 3-6 slate.
The Eagles also avenged their 78-83 loss to the Archers in their first-round match last Oct. 9.
Baldwin pointed to the Katipunan-based cagers’ key third quarter breakaway where they turned a 29-all count at the halfway mark to a 56-39 game heading into the payoff period that spelled the big difference.
“The third quarter was very telling. We defended great in the third quarter and that led to some easy points which allowed us to get some separation on the scoreboard which was pretty critical. You never know what’s gonna happen in a game,” Baldwin said.
