Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin was pleased to see his wards matching the intensity of their UP counterparts and were able to send themselves to the line.

But the Eagles failed to convert, shooting only 19 out of 40 attempts from the free-throw line.

“I was happy with the toughness of our team, we outrebounded UP which is really good, and every needs to focus on free throw shooting, and why not?,” said Baldwin after Ateneo’s 77-61 loss to UP at Smart Araneta Coliseum Saturday, Sept. 7.

“It was horrendous, when you get in the line 40 times, you should’ve probably won the game,” he added.

For the Maroons, they delivered 14-of-24 from the line, almost double the attempts of their Katipunan neighbors.

The State U even committed more turnovers at 17 compared to Ateneo's 10.

In the first half alone, Ateneo missed 15 shots from the line with the game still within striking distance against UP which got solid contributions from JD Cagulangan and Francis Lopez.

Up next for Ateneo is the new-look UST Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the same venue.