The Ateneo Blue Eagles sorely needed the presence of Divine Adili inside the paint as they finally snapped their losing skid against UE in UAAP Season 88.
It was a prayer answered for the Ateneo Blue Eagles as they returned to the win column in UAAP Season 88 at the expense of the UE Red Warriors, 78-74, in the second round at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on Wednesday.
A key factor to the victory was the return of foreign student-athlete Divine Adili, who missed the last three games due to injury.
Finding themselves behind heading into the final quarter, it was a gritty finish for Ateneo who had to lean on Adili on both ends of the court – scoring crucial points and grabbing UE’s misses on the other side.
Head coach Tab Baldwin, who was never really keen on pointing to one player’s impact as the key to success, really underscored the importance of having Adili back.
“Having him back, I don't think we can overemphasize how important that is. We've been a team that if you study the stats at all, we've been a team that's really struggled around the basket this year,” Baldwin said.
“Our defensive rebounding percentage has been hovering around 60%. Today it was 72%, which is a massive improvement. Our offensive rebounding percentage has been hovering around 25%. Today it's up at 35%. And you know,
it's pretty evident that when Divine is out there, it changes the dynamic for the team.”
[RELATED: UAAP: Ateneo spoils Lingolingo's return, snaps losing skid vs UE]
Perhaps one of the more crucial moments for Adili and the Blue Eagles was when he secured the board after a miss from UE’s Wello Lingolingo late in the game where the result was still up in the air.
After Lingolingo unloaded a potential triple that would’ve put the Red Warriors in front by one, Adili was at the right place at the right time.
And for Baldwin, it was more than what they could’ve expected from Adili with all things considered.
“25 minutes is a big effort coming from where he's come from… Until this week, he hadn't had a training session, not a single training session with our team since a week before the season started,” bared Baldwin.
“And so, you know, the fact that he mishandled the ball in the first half, had a couple of turnovers and missed a couple of shots that, you know, might otherwise be makeable shots for him. I told him in the fourth quarter or third quarter, I said, you know, stop trying to be a player and just try to get your rhythm, you know, just try to get your feet underneath you and get your rhythm.” he continued.
A long time coming
It wasn’t just the Blue Eagles that sorely missed Adili though, as it was also a two-way street, with the big man raring to go just as much.
After finally getting back on his feet, he was grateful for the chance to impact his team anew, and just in the nick of time as the Blue Eagles kept their Final Four hopes alive with the big win over UE.
“I feel really excited, like I've been itching to get back and I got the opportunity today,” he said.
Adili’s return marked Ateneo’s first win in a month’s time. They hope to keep it going in the last four games of the elimination round.
Adili and the Blue Eagles return to action when they face perennial rivals La Salle on Sunday, November 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer 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.