For the second straight game, Ateneo missed the services of foreign student-athlete Divine Adili.
As expected, Dom Escobar rose to the challenge for the Blue Eagles at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.
Escobar delivered 15 points and nine rebounds, but his effort wasn’t enough to lift Ateneo past Far Eastern University in a 75-68 loss. Still, he embraced the responsibility of filling the void left by Adili, who is out with a back injury.
‘With Divine Adili being out, I take more pride in that. Coach Tab has challenged me, I [also] challenged myself upon that,’ Escobar said in the first game of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament’s second round of eliminations.
‘We’re not as big as we should be so every time there’s a shot up, all I’m thinking of is just crashing the boards.’ The last time Adili played was in Ateneo’s triple-overtime loss to the University of Santo Tomas, 98-89, at Blue Eagle Gym.
Even in that game, Escobar showed his rebounding prowess, finishing with 13 points and 20 rebounds, while Adili tallied 10 points and 17 boards.
For the one-and-done guard, however, understanding their roles under coach Tab Baldwin isn’t enough. The Blue Eagles must now find a way to snap their four-game skid.
‘We just have to recognize who we are, we’re good enough to turn this around and finish within the Top 4 or even Top 2,’ he said. ‘We have to forget this loss and focus on NU this coming Sunday.’
Ateneo (4-4) faces National University (6-2) on Sunday at UST’s Quadricentennial Pavilion.