The Ateneo Blue Eagles. UAAP MediaMANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Also-ran Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) snapped its three-game skid at the expense of Final Four-seeking University of the East (UE), 71-67, in the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournament on Wednesday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Big man Precious Momowei couldn't play for UE after he was slapped with a one-game suspension following two unsportsmanlike fouls in their game against UST last Saturday.

READ: UAAP: UE's Precious Momowei to serve 1-game suspension vs. Ateneo

Despite their botched bid for a playoff spot, coach Tab Baldwin said they are fighting for the Ateneo name and community as the elimination round nears its conclusion.

"I think there is more than just pride to play for — there’s the uniform that we wear. And trying to live up to the standards that are expected of us by our community, by our teammates, and by ourselves — maybe that part is pride," Baldwin said.

The Blue Eagles almost squandered their lead which earlier ballooned to 15 as the Red Warriors unleashed a late rally. However, Jared Bahay had other things in mind, unleashing five points during crunch time for a 69-67 separation.

READ: UAAP: UE beats Ateneo for the first time since 2015

UE's Rain Maga had a chance to send the game to overtime, but he suffered a sorry miss at the basket. Sean Quitevis later on nailed the game-sealing free throws after a duty foul from UE, making it a two-possession game at 71-67.

"[The players feel] that every game is important. We didn’t want to disrespect our opponent by saying that this game doesn’t matter to us. It mattered a lot to us," said Baldwin.

Andrew Bongo and Shawn Tuano had 15 and 13 for the Ateneo firepower, respectively, while Bahay concluded the game with 11 points.

Maga paced the sliding UE side, registering 15 points, while Devin Fikes collected 10 rebounds and nine points.

The Katipunan-based cagers are now at 4-9 before facing Adamson University (AdU), while UE still has a chance to clinch a playoff spot at 6-7, now tied with the Growling Tigers.

The Scores:

ATENEO 71 – Bongo 15, Tuano 13, Koon 12, Bahay 11, Lazaro 11, Espinosa 5, Quitevis 2, Porter 2, Ong 0, Gamber 0, Espina 0.

UE 67 – Maga 15, Abate 11, Fikes 9, Lingolingo 8, Galang 8, J. Cruz-Dumont 6, Wilson 4, Spandonis 3, H. Cruz-Dumont 2, Malaga 1, Mulingtapang 0.

Quarterscores: 21-16, 40-31, 55-51, 71-67.

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