La Salle defense tests FEU firepower

MANILA, Philippines - And then there were four.

After 56 games and a two-round showcase of high-wire college ball from the eight competing schools, the UAAP Season 73 seniors basketball tournament enters that stage where only the best of ‘em all survives.

Far Eastern U and Ateneo , the consensus teams to beat even before the start of the hoopfest, lived up to that lofty billing by nailing the top two spots and the twice-to-beat bonus in the Final Four.

Out to challenge them for the top prize are two teams that did not figure in the semis last year: No. 3 Adamson, which had its best record since a semis-landing 6-6 in 2006, and host La Salle (No. 4), which is returning to its traditional playoffs spot after missing the bus last year.

The Tams will lock horns with the Green Archers while the Blue Eagles will tangle with the Soaring Falcons with FEU and AdMU each needing just one win to secure a seat in the best-of-three finals.

Armed with more than enough firepower, the FEU Tams have been the top offensive team this season, averaging 75.4 points on a league-best 44.3 percent field goal clip (47.5 percent on two-point conversions and 35.6 percent from rainbow territory).

Leading the charge is top gunner and MVP RR Garcia, who normed 16.8 points in 14 outings but hiked it to 18 against the Archers. He is ably complemented by the other two-thirds of FEU’s “Big 3” Reil Cervantes (11 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.7 apg) and Aldrech Ramos (11.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and a UAAP high 2.1 bpg) as well as Rookie of the Year awardee Terrence Romeo (8 ppg, 2.2 apg).

Cervantes and Ramos’ numbers, though, are down to 9.5 points per game against the tenacious defense of DLSU.

FEU coach Glen Capacio admitted that the Tams’ awesome offensive arsenal would become a dud if they could not handle the defense of the pesky Archers.

“We have to be prepared against their pressure defense. If we would not be rattled, safely bring the ball over to our frontcourt and execute our patterns, then we’ll be okay,” he said.

The Tams, though, are no soft defenders, themselves. They choked the Archers to 34.88 percent shooting in their 84-80 double overtime triumph the first time, although this went up to 41.8 percent when the Archers rebounded with an 80-66 rout in their next meeting. They had loads of shot blocks versus DLSU, 11-3 and 10-4.

Experience-wise, the Tams enjoy the edge against the rookie and sophomore-laden DLSU. But Capacio admitted the Archers’ vast talent and hunger for recognition is something that could offset that.

“Green” as they may be, the Archers have shown they can keep in step with the more seasoned squads, beating FEU by 14 points.

“We have to be aggressive from start to finish. We beat them once in the elims so I think we can be competitive against them,” said Pumaren, whose squad leads the league in rebounding (46 per game) and actually does a better job than at limiting their opponents’s output (65.9 versus FEU’s 68.9).

In their two meetings, the Archers had a double-digit margin in the rebound department, 54-43, and 45-32, and made the Tams squander possession more when they won, 20 versus 16.

Simon Atkins, who suffered a cut on his left eyebrow that was stitched up during the halftime break in their last encounter, stepped up against FEU, norming 12 points, 5.5 boards and two feeds. Ditto big men Yutien Andrada (12 ppg, 8 rpg) and Alvin Villanueva (9 ppg, 9 rpg).

“La Salle is a young team but they are very hungry and aggressive - something we need to watch out for,” said Capacio.