Preview: UST shoots for UAAP title in Game 2

MANILA, Philippines — With a 1-0 lead in a short series, the University of Santo Tomas shoots for history today, October 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as the first 4th seed to annex a UAAP men’s basketball crown.

However, the De La Salle University wants to extend the series to a winner-take-all duel on October 12. Will the Green Archers be successful?

UST Growling Tigers vs DLSU Green Archers

Game time: 4:00pm

Game 1: UST won, 73-72.

READ: UST moves 1 win closer to UAAP title

 

Game 1 recap:

What went right for UST: The Growling Tigers opened the finals with a blistering run, leading by as much as 17 in the first quarter, before edging the Green Archers in the end game courtesy of Kevin Ferrer’s dagger triple. Ferrer was a man on a mission with 20 points including 5 connections from downtown. He was not the lone hero for the Espana crew: Jeric Teng played his best game so far with 17 points and 7 boards while Karim Abdul was a beast inside with 19 markers and 12 rebounds.

What went wrong for DLSU: They were buried by a big margin early in the game and even though they were eventually able to catch up (and even take the driver’s seat), the chase took its toll on the Archers late in the game. Almond Vosotros broke out of his slump but La Salle shot just 37.5%, which proved to be not enough to power them to victory.

READ: Sauler: Ferrer killed us

What to do:

UST: They are one win away from history and in order to do that, the Growling Tigers must continue dictating the tempo. They must keep pounding every time and play as if there’s no tomorrow. Teng and Ferrer will again be their key scorers while Abdul will provide the toughness inside. John Sheriff has been splendid in the playoffs and he’ll be delivering for the Espana crew again. Lest we forget, Aljon Mariano is bound for one big game after struggling in his past few.

DLSU: The Green Archers are very fortunate the Growling Tigers were not able to pull away in Game 1. They cannot afford another sloppy start if they want the series to go the distance. They must start out strong and shoot better from the field. La Salle’s big men will do a better job of crashing the boards and protecting the lane, while their perimeter defenders must go all-out to contain Ferrer and the rest of UST’s shooters. Lastly, they should shoot better from the field and take the high-percentage shots.

IN PHOTOS: UST v La Salle Game 1

Key match-up:

Karim Abdul vs Arnold Van Opstal

Abdul clearly outplayed La Salle’s big men the last time out. His 19 points and 12 rebounds were even more than AVO and Norbert Torres’ combined production. Abdul will try to muscle his way even more to give UST the interior strength. Van Osptal is the Green Archers’ premier big man and he doesn’t want his career season to just end that soon. He must work very hard to limit Abdul and take care of La Salle’s inside.

X-factors:

UST: Aljon Mariano

Mariano is clearly UST’s absentee in Game 1. In 33 minutes of action, he scored just 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting. He was outplayed by Jason Perkins so he must bring his A game today to match well with DLSU’s forwards and also help the Growling Tigers in any way possible.

DLSU: LA Revilla

Revilla is another player who had a quiet Game 1. He did finish with 8 rebounds and four assists, but only made two field goals, which is very far from his semifinals average of 17.5 PPG. He did not even attempt from three-point range. Today, he is expected to contribute more for the Taft-based squad.

What this game means: Coach Pido Jarencio knows that UST’s just 40 minutes away from fulfilling their destiny and he knows just exactly how to do that. Coach Juno Sauler, meanwhile, won’t just let their season come to a halt. He is expected to have key adjustments for this game to extend the series to a decider. It will be an intense battle from the beginning as two schools play for glory. – Rappler.com