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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Collegiate devider Divine Adili provides relief for Eagles

Divine Adili provides relief for Eagles

Published Nov 7, 2025 03:33 pm

At A Glance

  • The 6-foot-10 Nigerian turned it up and powered Ateneo to a 78-74 win over University of the East in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament last Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Divine Adili brings life to Ateneo's semifinal bid. (UAAP Media)
Divine Adili brings life to Ateneo's semifinal bid. (UAAP Media)
Ateneo needed an answer after it got caught in a maze of blunders that pulled the Eagles down for an agonizing five-game losing skid.
Then came Divine Adili.
The 6-foot-10 Nigerian turned it up and powered Ateneo to a 78-74 win over University of the East in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament last Wednesday, Nov. 5.
After a hot 4-0 start, the Eagles lost track of their Final Four bid with five straight defeats.
On the brink of a major collapse, Adili was reactivated and immediately made his presence felt, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to beat Precious Momowei and the Warriors. He also had 13 rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals.
“Regarding Divine having him back, I don't think we can overemphasize how important that is. We've been a team that if you study the stats at all, we've been a team that's really struggled around the basket this year,” said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.
“We're last in the league in points in the paint. Our defensive rebounding percentage has been hovering around 60%. Today it was 72%, which is a massive improvement,” he added.
The 20-year-old big man has been in and out of the roster due to a lingering back injury that has clearly weakened Ateneo’s frontcourt. His absence took a toll on the Blue Eagles’ production in several areas, particularly in rebounding and points in the paint.
Though the Eagles had the luxury of additional bodies in Kymani Ladi, Lars Fjellvang, and Dom Escobar, it was still evident that Adili’s presence in the paint was significant.
“And, you know, it's pretty evident that when Divine is out there, it changes the dynamic for the team,” Baldwin continued. “And I think, you know, we got more out of him today than we expected, 25 minutes is a big effort coming from where he's come from.”
“So, yeah, I mean, all of that to say that we're delighted to have him back and I think that he's going to get more comfortable with more game time and more practice time,” he added.

Related Tags

Ateneo Blue Eagles UAAP Season 88
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