MANILA, Philippines – National University (NU) head coach Jamike Jarin believes it is not yet time to push the panic button even as the Bulldogs slumped to a third straight loss in the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball tournament on Saturday.

Tipped to be a Final 4 contender at the start of the season, the Bulldogs have so far managed only two wins against four losses already in the first round. They are all the way down in sixth place in the standings, just ahead of winless teams University of the East (0-5) and University of Santo Tomas (0-6).

On Saturday, they failed to sustain a strong start and bowed to league-leading Ateneo de Manila University, 96-83, despite another strong game from top star J-Jay Alejandro, who had 24 points.

"We started out good, and we were actually the one dictating the tempo of the game," Jarin pointed out afterwards.

Unfortunately, once Issa Gaye got into foul trouble in the second frame, the Blue Eagles were able to assert themselves.

"Ateneo is so deep, and they've got so many (weapons in their) arsenal," Jarin noted. "They're so deep. When our big guy, issa, got into foul trouble, that's when they really took over."

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The Bulldogs were actually able to limit Ateneo's usual scorers, particularly Thirdy Ravena, who had a season-low eight points. But the Blue Eagles' frontline came through, with Chibueze Ikeh and Vince Tolentino combining for 33 points in the game. Twins Matt and Mike Nieto also picked up the slack, scoring 12 points each.

"It was just them making plays down the stretch. Again, they were just deep," said Jarin.

Nevertheless, Jarin remains upbeat of his team's chances. "We're still in it," he firmly said.

"If you look at the three losses that we had, the three consecutive losses, we were in the game. We were in the game," Jarin emphatically added.

Indeed, all three of NU's consecutive losses have been marked by solid starts. Unfortunately, their offense often devolves into isolations for Alejandro, and they are unable to defend without fouling.

Against Ateneo, Alejandro kept them in the game in the first three frames, but managed only three points in the payoff period. Moreover, they gave away 32 free throws to the Blue Eagles.

Jarin is confident that as the season progresses, however, the Bulldogs can work out their issues on both ends of the floor.

"Things can only get better," he said. "We'll just dust ourselves and get back on the camel, and keep this train moving."

"We'll just gather our thoughts and rest a bit, then we got UP to prepare for," he added.

NU closes out its first round schedule against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on October 8 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

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