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Ateneo’s Ian Espinosa during a game against UST in UAAP Season 87.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo guards Sean Quitevis and Ian Espinosa played spoilers in University of Santo Tomas’ first-ever home game as they put the finishing touches in the Blue Eagles’ win at the Quadricentennial Pavilion on Saturday.
Holding a precarious two-point lead with 16 seconds left, Quitevis made a crucial steal, reading Forthsky Padrigao’s inbound pass to Nic Cabañero and scoring a breakaway layup before Espinosa’s split free throws sealed Ateneo’s 67-64 victory for the team’s first winning streak in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.
Article continues after this advertisement“Honestly, [my crucial play] was nothing special. It’s just we’re trying to do our job and we try to stay disciplined, do our job and it went our favor,” said Quitevis, who scored his two points with 11 seconds left — but it turned out to be the game’s most important field goal.
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Quitevis, who also had three steals, three rebounds, and two assists, treated their away game just like any other game.
Article continues after this advertisement“Whether it’s a home or away court, a basketball court is a basketball court. The rim is 10 feet, the free throw line is 15 feet, the court is 94 feet… It’s what we play every day so we’re just excited to be here,” Quitevis said.
Article continues after this advertisement“I’m not too worried about my performance. I care about how our team performs. Obviously, there are things to improve. We were just excited to come out and play UST on their home court. Not a lot of players get this opportunity to play in someone else’s homecourt so coach Tab [Baldwin] just wanted to make sure our team’s energy is up there with UST and we wanted to take the fight to them,” he added.
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Ateneo’s Sean Quitevis and Ian Espinosa during a win over UST in UAAP Season 87.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Espinosa, who delivered 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists, agreed with Quitevis as the Blue Eagles stuck to their goal despite the massive support received by the Tigers from the UST faithful.
“Nag-focus lang kami sa mako-control namin, hindi yung sa di namin mako-control. Stick lang kami sa gameplan ni coach Tab. Kahit na mag-run yung UST alam namin maganda yung crowd nila so kailangan naming mag-stay together,” Espinosa said.
Article continues after this advertisement READ: UAAP: Forthsky Padrigao rues UST home loss to AteneoAteneo bolstered its Final Four hopes with a 3-6 record, rising to the sixth place behind UST and Adamson. Espinosa stressed that their rookie-laden squad should already make the necessary adjustments after a lackluster first round.
“Moving on second round wala nang rookies, rookies. So alam na namin yung experience ng game. Entering second round dapat alam na paano maging composed kasi knowing nung first round nawawala kami sa mga crucial na situations,” said Espinosa. “It’s a good win but there’s a lot to improve, especially on our free throws, we missed 10. On the defensive rebound, they outworked us. Moving forward, ready to prepare for Adamson.”
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Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin lauded Quitevis and Espinosa for playing their hearts out and showing guts in their visit to UST’s lair.
“They’re real warriors. They’re guys that play every possession with their heart. Sometimes I wish they wouldn’t. Sometimes I wish they would use their head a bit moretayabet,” Baldwin said. “But we can never question their heart. I would rather say that about a player of mine than to say he’s a highly intellectual player. Sometimes the smarter player is easier to coach, but the tougher guy is always a blessing.”
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