Romwel Anzures

Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin in UAAP Season 88. Photo from UAAP Media.

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ABS-CBN News

<div style="line-height:1.5"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1763900670346UAAP 88 MBB AdU vs. ADMU- Tab Baldwin-7935.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin in UAAP Season 88. Photo from UAAP Media.MANILA — Ateneo de Manila University’s Final 4 hopes remain alive, and the Blue Eagles are leaning on their ups and downs throughout the season to complete this chase.</div>With six wins in 13 games in UAAP Season 88, the Katipunan-based squad now turns its attention to De La Salle University on Wednesday in a rivalry showdown that will determine its postseason fate.For Ateneo to repeat its win over the Green Archers, the Blue Eagles should approach the game the same way they did in beating Adamson University on Sunday, said head coach Tab Baldwin.<div style="line-height:1.5"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/11/23/uaap-ateneo-eliminates-adamson-to-stay-in-final-4-race-1603">READ: Ateneo eliminates Adamson to stay in Final 4 race</a></div>“You have to take learnings out of every game,” said the four-time champion after they avoided a 26-point collapse against the Soaring Falcons. “We’ll try to play them with better composure and with toughness.”“Storylines tend to have an impact on the players, on the game, so you can always expect that what you expect will happen will not happen,” he added.Incidentally, Ateneo also held a huge advantage against La Salle in their October 5 meeting — leading by as much as 31 — before settling for an 81-74 win.This time around, however, the Blue Eagles fended off Adamson’s rally before it could reach single digits, which Baldwin said was an example of learning from previous mistakes.“In a way, La Salle helped us a lot by fighting back and not giving up on us,” he shared. “We got much better after that.”Sandwiched between these two games are several heartbreaking losses that put Ateneo’s Final 4 bid in jeopardy, but Baldwin reiterated that those defeats have still been valuable.“If we were not so consumed by results, we have actually put up a lot of good performances wherein we could have produced more wins,” he said.But now that it is a matter of survival for the Blue Eagles, it is crucial that those lessons finally translate into victories.“The result is now what matters most,” he stressed, before expressing confidence in his squad. “We have a team that has a real chance to move forward into the next round.”A win by La Salle eliminates Ateneo, while a win by the Blue Eagles will force at least a play-in for the fourth spot, as also still in the running is Far Eastern University.<div style="line-height:1.5">The Green Archers currently hold the fourth seed with a 7-6 record, while the Blue Eagles and the Tamaraws are at 6-7. RELATED VIDEO: <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0YDnf6r2-1A?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></div>

Ateneo’s #UAAPSeason88 Final 4 hopes remain alive, and the Blue Eagles are leaning on their ups and downs to complete this chase.

Ateneo’s #UAAPSeason88 Final 4 hopes remain alive, and the Blue Eagles are leaning on their ups and downs to complete this chase.

UAAP: Ateneo to bank on composure, toughness as Final 4 hunt continues

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UAAP: Ateneo to bank on composure, toughness as Final 4 hunt continues

Rom Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 23, 2025 08:56 PM PHT

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Basketball

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ABSSports

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Dom Escobar

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