UAAP Week 3 Takeaways: Ateneo, UST solidify top spots while UP finally gets first win

This past week’s UAAP games felt like a changing — regaining of the guard as two of the most winningest schools in the basketball tournament showed their old selves to the rest of the league.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles have seemingly figured everything out. Spearheaded by one-and-done Kymani Ladi and sophomore guard Jarred Bahay, Ateneo has found its rhythm on both ends after a 77-58 blowout of the tough Adamson Soaring Falcons. 

The Blue Eagles got hot from the field, shooting an outsanding 49.1% (27/55) and forcing Adamson to turn the ball over 22 times. Despite a 1-2 slate, the Soaring Falcons were by no means a pushover after edging out defending champions UP Fighting Maroons in their last game and making powerhouse DLSU Green Archers sweat in the opener. 

On the other side, the UST Growling Tigers proved they deserved the early contender nods as they rode the Green Arcers’ early storm to secure a 93-84 victory. It was the Tigers’ first win against La Salle since 2015, and just like how their old Foreign Student Athlete (FSA) Karim Abdul did, their new FSA Collins Akowe dominated the game.

Akowe bounced back from a rough first half to help UST with 20 points and 19 rebounds, but it was super senior Nic Cabanero who led the Tigers after exploding for 27 points. DLSU failed to stop the Tigers from powering in second-chance points as big man Mike Phillips tallied 15 rebounds but only scored eight.

UP finally showed its championship pedigree this season to grab its first win after cruising through the UE Red Warriors, 92-75. Rey Remogat showed comfort in pummeling his old team, shooting lights out from the field at 43.8% (7-16), including six three-pointers. 

Meanwhile, the NU Bulldogs join UST and Ateneo at the league’s top after an 84-68 domination of the FEU Tamaraws. The Bulldogs showed why they were one of the league’s Final Four dark horses as their defense forced 17 FEU turnovers, while almost everyone contributed on the offensive end.

Here are the team standings in the #UAAPSeason88 Men’s, Women’s, and U16 Basketball Tournaments after the games this weekend (September 27–28) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.#StrengthInMotionHopeInAction pic.twitter.com/P2Ic8bhJ6L

— The UAAP (@uaap_official) September 28, 2025

New contract, same old Tab

The Blue Eagles have looked like the well-oiled machine everyone thought they were. It was, for the most part, due to the unwavering brilliance of head coach Tab Baldwin, who signed a three-year contract extension before the season. 

Baldwin has erased the failures of past seasons with an Ateneo team looking well and truly like contenders for the crown. The scoring woes of last season have now been fully extinguished with Ladi, who combined for 44 points in his first two games in the UAAP, tallying 14 points against Adamson, and was helped with the offensive load by fellow one-and-done cager Jaden Lazo (15 points) and  FSA Divine Adili (16 points).

The Blue Eagles didn’t even need to rely on Bahay with his scoring ability, as Dom Escobar and Ian Espinosa showed their reliability on offense as well. It doesn’t seem crazy to say anymore that as long as Ateneo stays with this consistency, more specifically against the likes of DLSU and UST, they will return to the top of the UAAP mountain.

A fiercer, more consistent Tigers squad

There was a moment in the third quarter when the Green Archers looked like they were ready to bury the Tigers after an Earl Abadam three-pointer extended their lead to 12 points. But unfortunately for DLSU, this UST team, after recent years of languishing play, has finally figured out its identity.

UST went on a 16-4 run to trim the lead to two heading into the final frame, where the Tigers pounced on the Green Archers, who looked shaken on both ends. Kyle Paranada has stepped up to become one of the reliable guards for UST, alongside Forthsky Padrigao, who still lacks consistency in his shooting but has shown a level above his usual facilitating in his first game back from suspension.

With wingmen such as Amiel Acido, Mark Llemit, and Isaac Danting still on their way to becoming reliable corner threats and their next two games being played on their home floor, there is a huge possibility that they will boast a perfect record ahead of their eventual clash against Ateneo next week.

Remogat comes alive against his old team

It was peculiar to expect the defending champions to have difficulty against the Red Warriors, but with their recent performances, it would have been ignorant not to. However, the Fighting Maroons showed no struggles in showing why they still deserve to be a contender after taking care of UE. 

Remogat, who transferred from UE last season, exploded with 21 points, including 18 that came from the first half. The guard sank six threes that almost erased his prior two performances, in which he only scored 5 points combined. His scoring output was sorely needed with a UP squad that lost three pivotal scorers in JD Cagulangan, Quentin Millora-Brown, and Francis Lopez.

State U’s woes in the paint were also addressed by head coach Goldwin Monteverde after pivoting to a hyper-powered defense that allowed more help to big men Gani Stevens and Francis Nnoruka. UP will have to bank on this performance ahead of an NU squad that seeks to prove itself as a contender.

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