With loss diluting their league dominance, Maroons pick up lessons and ready to start anew

University of the Philippines (UP), despite having a strong start to its UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament campaign, is far from perfect especially after experiencing a hard reality check at the hands of defending champion Ateneo.

The Blue Eagles spoiled the Fighting Maroons’ bid for an unblemished streak at the end of the first round with a 99-89 overtime victory on Sunday night in front of a loud crowd at Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.

And that loss gives UP just the impetus it needs to clean up its game, when it opens its second round schedule on Wednesday against Adamson.

“We’re just halfway through the season. [Being No.1 is] not something that has relevance to me,” coach Goldwin Monteverde told reporters shortly after Ateneo put a stop to UP’s winning streak. “My concern is how to play consistently and definitely after today’s game, we will learn a lot.”

“We have to gather ourselves together and be ready for the [next] game.”

Ateneo, which has been up-and-down so far this season, got heavy contribution from its old reliables, Mason Amos, Chris Koon, Joe Obasa and Kai Ballungay, who finished with a combined 59 points to water down UP’s erstwhile league dominance.

Facing their Season 84 tormentor, the Blue Eagles also outrebounded UP, 57-45, including 19 pickups off the offensive glass.

“The effort was there but we need to learn or grow in such a way that we could do that the whole game. We just need to be consistent about doing things,” Monteverde said as the Maroons braces for the Nash Racela-coached Adamson at MOA Arena.

UP hopes to repeat its 68-51 trashing of the Falcons on opening day to get back on the winning track.

Emotional

“Losses, no matter which part of the season, a team experiences that. Of course it hurts. It’s hard to accept but at the same time we are only halfway through the season and team is still growing, which is our focus every time we play,” he said. “Maybe it’s good that we experienced it midway through the season so we wake up after this.”

CJ Cansino, who admitted to being emotional while playing the Blue Eagles for the first time after recuperating from an injury, contributed 22 points, six rebounds and two blocks in UP’s first loss of the season and the Maroons team captain said his team’s problems were already showing even before the Ateneo match.

“[The team’s effort] is still lacking because for the past games it has always been our problem. We wait for [opponents] to punch us first before we throw our punch. We did not get the win today and hopefully we learn from this game,” Cansino said.

Learning, the Maroons feel, is the only way to punch a ticket to the Finals again amid surprising teams standing on their way armed with first round learnings. INQ