La Salle coach Franz Pumaren took the loss in stride and vowed to get back at Ateneo in Game 2 of their best-of-three series for the UAAP men’s basketball crown on Thursday.
“You know we may be down, but we’re not out yet. I’m still confident we can still even the series on Thursday,” said Pumaren moments after the Archers dropped a 61-69 setback in the series’ opener.
It was La Salle’s third straight loss to its archrival this season, including two in the double round elims. But Pumaren remains confident of his wards’ resiliency and fighting spirit.
Pumaren also made a vow after the Archers took a 57-65 loss to the Eagles last Sept. 6, saying the defending champions will still end up in the finals.
They did.
Pumaren simply shrugged off another beating from the fired-up Archers last night, saying winning the opener doesn’t mean a thing if you couldn’t win a second one.
“It takes two games to win a championship,” he said. “Remember we were also down against UST and we won two straight. It’s still a long way to go.”
He was referring to the 1999 finals when after the Archers dropped Game 1, 60-62, they took Game 2, 81-74, and the decider, 78-75, in the second of their four-straight title romps from 1998-2001.
Despite a 1-0 lead, Ateneo must sustain its form to avoid a repeat of its classic 2006 final showdown with UST when the Eagles won Game 1, 73-72, only to lose the next, 71-81, and the sudden death, 74-76, in overtime.
But to force a winner-take-all match, the Archers must toughen up both mental and physical aspects of the game.
“We didn’t play our game, didn’t play well. Rabeh (Al-Hussaini) played a monster game and we’re still in the game, we just made some crucial mistakes,” said Pumaren.
“We forced them to commit several turnovers but we couldn’t convert partly because the players are excited. For us to accomplish it, it’s going to take a lot toughness,” Pumaren said. – Abac Cordero