By AJ Alarcon

It was either a rocky bronze bid or a steeper road to the Finals.

Ateneo chose the latter.

Facing their final University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Boys’ Basketball Tournament eliminations match, the stakes grew higher for Team Ateneo. But the Eagles gritted their teeth to post an 86–82 victory against Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU-D) in an overtime thriller on Sunday, March 8 at the Blue Eagle Gym, forcing a postseason chase for the No. 2 seed.

In the hunt for victory, center Jude Eriobu logged 23 points and 15 rebounds. Team Captain Jay M Leal contributed 19 points and nine rebounds, while Noah Banal pitched in 17 points. Zane Kallos orchestrated the play, tallying six rebounds and seven assists, as Ziv Espinas added eight rebounds.

The match opened with Ateneo lagging behind after a five-point run from the Tamaraws, but a jump shot from Leal gave the Eagles their first point of the game.

FEU-D, however, mounted a scoring run that cornered Ateneo to a 9–22 tally with just over two minutes left in the period. It was Leal, once again, who ended the slump for Ateneo with a free throw and slowed the Tamaraws’ pace until the buzzer. The period ended at 18–24, capped by Leal’s three-point bucket.

JB Cagurungan immediately answered with a three in the second quarter, but Audwyn Tamayo was quick to counter with a layup. Marc Burgos then heated the faceoff with consistent points, pushing the tally further as Ateneo trailed, 23–37.

Banal broke free of the Tamaraws’ defense, draining a three, followed by a Leal mid-range jumper and an Eriobu specialty slam to close the half at 31–41.

Both paints were clogged in the third period, as the physical battle forced both squads to pressure the rim. But Eriobu took control of the moment, sending the ball down the net for a 33–43 tally.

Although Cagurungan sank a three, Ethan Kaw responded with another three-pointer, followed by a shot from Espinas beyond the perimeter.

As the clock wound down, Eriobu found an opening in the scramble, managing to beat the shot clock to bring Ateneo within ten points, 45–55. With two successful free throws from Kallos and another three from Banal, the Eagles ended the quarter at 50–55.

With Ateneo gradually closing the gap, the pressure intensified. It was in the final two minutes that Ateneo broke the Tamaraws’ momentum. Eriobu and Banal drilled two-pointers to bring Ateneo to a 74–75 tally. Leal then delivered a go-ahead layup to seize a 76–75 lead.

Burgos squeezed in a shot with just 7.9 seconds left in regulation, but Banal drew a shooting foul from Cabs Cabonilas and forced an extra period after sinking a free throw, tying the match at 77–all.

A sequence of buckets from the trio of Eriobu, Banal, and Leal allowed Ateneo a brief breather in overtime before Yosef Rañeses halted the run with a timely three.

With just 10 seconds left in the match, Rañeses attempted another shot from beyond the arc, but his missed bid allowed Ateneo to pull away with a Leal free throw, sealing the game at 86–82.

Amid the high-intensity arena, Leal stated, “Naging focused lang ako throughout the game and iniisip ko kung paano kami mananalo. And ’yon, nag-click naman.”

Ateneo now sits in a share of second place in the standings with an identical 11–3 win-loss record with FEU-D. Only one of the two teams will secure the twice-to-beat advantage for a Finals berth against top seed National University Nazareth School (NUNS).

Anticipating another match against FEU-D for the advantage, Leal added that the team is set to be more consistent in training to replicate the win, which he dedicated to the Lord, the Ateneo community, and his family.

The win over the Tamaraws placed the Eagles in a playoff against FEU-D, igniting the start of a best-of-three series on Wednesday, March 11 at the homecourt of the victors.