Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin was critical of his wards' crucial misses at the charity stripe after a close shave against UE in the UAAP men's basketball.
Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin rued his charges' late-game misses at the free throw line in their close 62-60 win over University of the East at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball Wednesday, Sept. 24.
The Blue Eagles missed three of their crucial four freebies at endgame, keeping the door ajar for the Red Warriors, who were just behind by two points, in the final 11 seconds of the match.
Though the clock eventually ran out for UE without any significant look at the basket, Baldwin could not help but nitpick his team’s inefficient outing at the charity stripe.
“We're missing too many free throws,” said Baldwin of his squad, which only converted 12 of their 26 free throw attempts for 46.2 percent against their foe's 68.8.
“Everybody wants to question free throws. We shoot a lot of free throws in practice. The guys just have to step up and make them.”
[RELATED STORY: Ateneo Blue Eagles drub Red Warriors for early lead in UAAP 88 standings]
Kymani Ladi swung a triple to give the Blue Eagles back the lead at 61-60 with 22.7 ticks left before Dom Escobar nailed his first freebie on a foul by Welo Lingolingo at the 11-second mark.
But Escobar missed his next gift shot, then Jadem Lazo flubbed his two charity attempts just four seconds later.
Despite these, Ateneo heaved a sigh of relief as it crossed the finish line victorious for a 2-0 card.
[ALSO READ: Ateneo's 'twin towers' dominate as Blue Eagles cruise past UE in UAAP Season 88 women's opener]
Baldwin: Not the best showing for Ateneo
Kymani Ladi shines anew for Ateneo in its second match against University of the East in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball Wednesday, Sept. 24. | Photo: UAAP
The Blue Eagles were firmly in control early against the Red Warriors as they posted an 11-point spread, 35-24, at halftime.
But Lingolingo spurred UE's fightback to make things perilous for the Blue Eagles.
He dropped 12 of his team's 23 points in the third to force a 47-all count at the end of the frame.
He poured seven more in the final canto as both teams fought in a nip-and-tuck battle, which Ateneo ultimately won despite its mistakes at the free throw line.
[ALSO READ: Red Warriors flaunt retro-styled jerseys inspired by 1980s UE, Allan Caidic in UAAP Season 88]
Baldwin underlined the importance of making these freebies, especially against dangerous teams in the league that could come back from sizeable deficits.
“When you don't [make free throws], then you put yourself in those perilous positions where you've got to make a defensive stop,” said Baldwin, who also extended his total wins in the league to 101.
At the end of the day, Baldwin still commended his charges despite what he deemed as not their best showing.
“Not the best performance, but I thought it was gutsy,” said Baldwin.
“I thought we made the plays that we had to make. We hit a couple of shots we had to hit. We got defensive stops that we had to make.”
Kymani Ladi and Joaqui Espina did the heavy lifting for the Blue Eagles as they combined for 35 points. Ladi also logged a double-double with his 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lingolingo, who gave UE a 58-60 edge with 32 seconds left in the matched, finished with a game-high 19 markers.
Precious Momowei nearly put in his own double-double with his nine markers and 18 boards.
Ateneo shoots for its third straight win against Adamson even as the Red Warriors meet struggling defending champ University of the Philippines at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao Sunday, Sept. 28.
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Luisa Morales is a sportswriter with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team and mixed martial arts.