UAAP: Kristian Porter powers Ateneo past NU in close win

Kris Porter leads the Ateneo Blue Eagles past NU Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament second round. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Ateneo held on for a narrow 70-68 win against National University in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Behind Kristian Porter’s best outing with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, the Blue Eagles got back at the Bulldogs who gave them a 78-68 loss at the end of round one.

SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 87 basketball

“My mindset coming into the game was to just do my job, help the team no matter how and just play through the system and the points just came, the rebounds, everything else,” Porter said. “I just trusted my teammates, especially, I’m going to insert this here, the Ateneo community.”

“Going out on the court, seeing the whole community there, no matter our standing, how we performed, they were still there for us. So that’s a chip on my shoulder that won’t go away anytime soon or anytime ever. And that’s what motivated me especially for today’s game,” he added.

Porter helped Ateneo fend off a pesky NU side, putting his crew up, 68-65, in the payoff frame. He also showed up on the defense end and rejected an attempt by Jake Figueroa with 14 seconds left.

READ: UAAP: Baldwin says struggling Ateneo feeling the pressure

Ateneo was bailed out by Ian Espinosa who split his trips twice from the line enough for the Blue Eagles to split past also skidding NU despite the late-game bombs by Steve Nash Enriquez and Jolo Manansala.

Manasala had a chance to be the hero for NU but missed his last ditch triple.

Ateneo Blue Eagles’ Jared Bahay during a game against NU Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament second round –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Rookie guard Jared Bahay supported his longtime teammate from Ateneo de Cebu with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists as captain Chris Koon added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Andrew Bongo played a vital role in helping the Blue Eagles pull away in the second frame, scoring all his points from beyond the arc to end up with nine points apart from seven rebounds.

Ateneo started slow but managed to establish a lead in the third quarter with their zone defense paired with Bongo’s lethal shots from beyond that helped the Eagles to a 32-19 lead.

READ: UAAP: NU stops slide, adds to Ateneo’s woes

But the Bulldogs refused to immediately concede and by halftime, Ateneo’s advantage was down to just four.

“It was enough to get us over the finish line. Very, very satisfying. I know for the players that it’s been a tough first half of the season and they’ve stuck together. You got to give them credit for that,” coach Tab Baldwin said as Ateneo improved to a 2-6 card.

Figueroa still came up with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the losing stand for NU, Manansala added 12 points and seven rebounds. Kenshin Padrones, despite a 2-of-6 field goal attempt, showed up in the rebounding aspect with 11 to add to his meager four points.

Ateneo will look to even another matchup with University of Santo Tomas on Saturday while NU will have a tough opponent next in University of the Philippines, currently battling UST as of posting, on Sunday both at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.