SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines — Who will take the last finals ticket?
It’s do-or-die Saturday in the 76th UAAP men’s basketball tournament as University of Santo Tomas and National University collide for one last time to determine who will face De La Salle University in the championship round.
Game time is at 4:00 pm from the Mall of Asia Arena.
Previous meeting:
UST 71, NU 62
Kevin Ferrer – 14 points, 5 rebounds (4-of-9 3 points)
READ: UST stops NU to force do-or-die
Season series: NU leads, 2-1
GAME 1 RECAP
What went right for UST: Kevin Ferrer played an extraordinary game last Sunday. His primary task was just to contain Ray Parks but he added sheer effort on the offensive end after knocking down booming triples. Key bench players like Paolo Pe, Kim Lo, and Clark Bautista also had valuable contributions for UST as their subs outscored NU’s reserves, 24-15.
What went wrong for NU: The Bulldogs started flat and turned the ball over a dozen times in the first half, which transformed into 10 points for the Tigers. This sloppy start buried them into a deep hole in the second and third quarters. They also had not help from their support crew when Ray Parks and Jean Mbe were both limited to sub-par showings.
What to do:
UST: The Growling Tigers must show the same intensity today to have a bigger chance of making a second straight trip to the finals. Their bench must give quality minutes to keep their starters fresh. If Ferrer shows the same firepower today, it might smell goodbye for NU.
In 2006, the third-seeded Growling Tigers beat the UE Red Warriors twice and went on to win the UAAP crown after besting Ateneo in 3 gruelling games in the finale.
This is the exact trick they are trying to duplicate today. Coach Pido Jarencio knows how to handle the pressure for the lower-seeded Tigers and he knows his boys have the guts to overcome a twice-to-beat disadvantage yet again.
UST is 2-0 in do-or-die games this season and they want to keep that slate clean to march forward to the finals.
NU: The Bulldogs want to salvage this great season by avoiding an early exit. They did blow the first game away and in order to restore order, they must move the ball and execute better. A strong start will be vital for the Sampaloc-based squad in their quest to make the finals for the first time in 4 decades.
Right now, there’s no team hungrier than National U. Their last finals appearance was in 1971-72; their last title was even way back in the 1954-55 season. If there’s one best year to end that streak, it’s this year. Coach Eric Altamirano knows it and they have must go all out to keep their hopes alive.
Gelo Alolino played well in their first outing, but their duo of Parks and Mbe must find other ways of helping the team. Parks did score 14 markers but was limited to just 2 in the first half. Jean Mbe wounded up with just 8 points. Their supporting cast—especially Robin Rono—must also give the Bulldogs more offense. The only way to win this game is to play as a complete team.
Key match-up:
Kevin Ferrer vs Ray Parks
Ferrer is doing an exceptional way of defending the 2-time UAAP MVP while also making impact on the offensive end. Parks must find other ways of scoring to avoid getting shut down again. Now if he can’t escape Ferrer’s hounding defense, he should get more of his teammates involved and try to set them up for open looks. Ferrer meanwhile should just continue his defensive effort to help the Espana crew win.
X-factors:
UST: Paolo Pe
Karim Abdul played just 27 minutes the last time out as backup center Paolo Pe stepped up, scoring 6 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in 13 minutes of action. Giving Abdul more rest is vital and if Pe can play well, then Mbe’s going to have more problems.
NU: Gelo Alolino
In their loss, Alolino was the lone spark as he finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Arguably the league’s best pure point guard, Alolino should flash the same brilliance in order for the Bulldogs to move on to the finals.
What this game means: There can only be one. The DLSU Green Archers are already waiting for their foes in the best-of-3 finals, carrying a 9-game winning streak along with them. National U just won’t let their amazing season come to an early halt, while the Espana crew would also want to extend their season, having been a squad who never surrendered from the start. – Rappler.com
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