Baldwin says Blue Eagles ‘don’t have killer instinct’

Ateneo may be on top of the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball standings but head coach Tab Baldwin said there’s still more to be desired of his team’s performance.

The Blue Eagles own a 9-2 record but for the past two games shown considerable weak points especially in the second half.

Baldwin said his team lacks the killer instinct required to end games quickly and easily.

“It’s our attitude when we have a big lead, it’s not just the start of the third, it could be the start of the fourth,” said Baldwin after Ateneo’s 79-64 win over National University Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We dropped our mentality for sure and we don’t have a killer instinct and for sure it’s something we’ll continue to talk about.”

Ateneo had strong starts against the Bulldogs and University of the East but looked to lag once the second half started.

The Blue Eagles held a 44-20 lead in the second quarter against the Bulldogs but allowed NU to cut the margin to 12 points, 55-43.

A similar incident also happened in the defending champions’ last game against the Red Warriors when they held a 57-24 lead after the first half before watching UE outscore them 27-16 in the third quarter.

The Blue Eagles held on for the 90-70 win but Baldwin was adamant that his team’s performance in the second half isn’t up to par to his expectations.

Baldwin even mentioned the team’s 63-60 first round loss against Far Eastern University in a game the Blue Eagles started with an 18-3 lead.

“We’ve got to have a bench that wants to go over with the same attitude and we’ve got to get starts that want to go back with the same hunger,” said Baldwin. “[Losing momentum in the half] is not an uncommon problem for teams but it’s something we have to clearly identify and work on.”