UAAP Basketball

‘Disjointed’ Ateneo aims to fix finals Game 1 woes, force do-or-die vs UP

JR Isaga

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‘Disjointed’ Ateneo aims to fix finals Game 1 woes, force do-or-die vs UP

OUTHUSTLED. UP forces a crucial shot-clock violation against Ateneo in the UAAP Finals Game 1

UAAP Season 84 Media Team

Tab Baldwin rues multiple Ateneo shortcomings to kick off the UAAP finals as UP earns back-to-back shock wins against the Blue Eagles dynasty

MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo fans at the Mall of Asia Arena last Sunday, May 8, were left in shock as the once-unbeatable Blue Eagles collapsed in the UAAP Season 84 Finals Game 1 against the UP Fighting Maroons.

Many were left searching for answers amid the adrenaline high brought by UP’s mad rush to an overtime victory, but Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin – ever the calculated tactician – simply laid out what went wrong with his wards and what areas they need to work on immediately.

“We just haven’t had close games, and we didn’t play well in the critical moments of the game. We looked disjointed, we didn’t look cohesive at all, we were searching and UP certainly had the initiative with their defensive pressure. They didn’t allow us to settle, and we didn’t settle,” he said after the game.

“We made bad plays late in regulation and in overtime. The game was winnable in regulation, but I’m not really sure that you deserve to win when you allow your opposition 50% offensive rebounding percentage, when you give them 26 turnovers that they turn into 26 turnover points, and you shoot with 11-of-25 from the free throw line.”

Sure enough, Ateneo had a golden opportunity to dominate the rebounding column after tallying 24 offensive boards out of 50 total, but they also gave up 29 offensive rebounds to UP – more than half of their 51-board total.

Both teams were also almost even in free-throw attempts, but the Eagles’ putrid 44% conversion rate paled in comparison to UP’s 20-of-24 line for an 83% clip.

“It’s almost like you’re trying to lose when those numbers are present on the scoresheet. Certainly, there were some good numbers on the scoresheet in our favor, but that’s not indicative of the way we normally play,” Baldwin continued.

Lead guard SJ Belangel and graduating forward Raffy Verano were among those with “good numbers” after tallying 17 points apiece in the loss, but these were also offset by a 6-point, 6-turnover game from Dave Ildefonso and a 7-point, 3-of-10 shooting night with a 0-of-5 three-point clip from Gian Mamuyac.

Meanwhile, the Maroons were mostly on point with five players in double-digit scoring, highlighted by Ricci Rivero’s perfect 11-of-11 free throw clip en route to 19 points, Zavier Lucero’s 17-point, 13-board double-double, and Malick Diouf’s 10-point, 15-board line with a whopping 11 offensive rebounds.

Overall, UP simply outplayed the mighty Eagles, and Baldwin is making sure that it doesn’t happen again with their four-peat bid suddenly pushed to the brink of collapse by Game 2 on Wednesday, May 11, at 6 pm.

“We intend to get back to playing the way that we should play, and we believe that we can turn this result around, and it’s a three-game series for a reason,” he said.

“We intend to work our tails off, get this thing in a third game, and do the very best we can to win the championship.” – Rappler.com

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