FEU out for payback

FEU has beaten NU in three of four encounters in the UAAP men’s senior basketball tournament this season and is out to make it four of five in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum this afternoon.

What’s going for the Tamaraws is their tradition of bouncing back strong from a loss. In Game 2 last Wednesday, the Bulldogs finally booked their first win over FEU via a 62-47 rout. That snapped NU’s three-game losing skid to FEU this campaign and forced the decider in what could draw the highest attendance ever for a basketball game in Philippine sports history.

Ordinarily, a 15-point loss would be a severe blow to the losing team’s confidence. But not FEU. In the previous La Salle series, the Tams were blown out by the Archers, 94-73, and then went to a do-or-die for the right to play in the Finals. That was La Salle’s first win over FEU in four battles this season. FEU toughened up and rebounded in a big way, defeating the Archers, 67-64, in the rubber to advance to the Last Dance. It’s exactly the same situation that FEU now faces against NU.

In the eliminations, NU lost twice to FEU, 71-62 and 74-70 in overtime. FEU drew first blood in the Finals, 75-70, then NU took Game 2. So it’s come down to just one more game for the championship. For NU, the battlecry is to make it two in a row over FEU. And for FEU, the battlecry is to do to NU what it did to La Salle.

“We hope to bounce back as we did against La Salle,” said FERN Realty president and FEU representative to the UAAP Board of Trustees Anton Montinola. “We were down by only two rebounds against La Salle (in FEU’s 67-64 win) but down 19 against NU (in the Bulldogs’ 62-47 win). We must start strong as we did against La Salle. In Game 2, by scoring six points in the first quarter against NU, we dug a deep hole. Not enough assists so we didn’t share the ball. Focus on the task at hand, defend better against NU’s bigs.”

* * * *

Montinola hit the nail on the head. When FEU won Game 1, the Tams did a solid job offensively, racking up more assists, 15-10, more triples, 6-3, more points from layups and tips, 10-6, more fastbreak points, 14-6 and more second chance points, 12-9. The execution was evident in FEU’s higher field goal percentage, 40.8 to NU’s 38.8. It’s no secret that in a game where the accent is offense, FEU has the advantage over NU. In the eliminations, FEU averaged 76.1 points in its 10 wins and 70 in its four losses. Overall, the Tams averaged 74.4 points compared to NU’s 64.1 clip.

In Game 2, the accent was on defense and NU took the cue to barnacle FEU. The Bulldogs held the Tams to only 17 conversions in 61 field goal attempts or a dismal 27.8 percent norm. NU had more assists, 10-8, more points from layups and tips, 11-5, more fastbreak points, 10-4 and more second chance points, 16-6. FEU could score only six points in the first period as NU established control early. NU’s bigs set the pace by dominating the boards and the Bulldogs wound up with a whopping edge, 58 caroms to FEU’s 39. NU had more offensive rebounds, 27-15.

Troy Rosario, who had 12 points in Game 1, came alive with 19 points and 14 boards in Game 2. Glenn Khobuntin delivered 17 points from nine in the opener. Alfred Aroga had seven points and 13 rebounds. For FEU, Mac Belo hit 17 points on 5-of-13 from the field and Mike Tolomia added 14. No other Tam was in twin digits as only six FEU players scored compared to eight for NU. Import Anthony Hargrove was scoreless in four tries.

Montinola described Game 3 as “a classic finale.” Regarding discussions on imports in the UAAP, Montinola said this season, each team was allowed to recruit two with only one to play at a time. “We may present options to the Board soon to vote on,” he said. “Maybe, only one import per team and we may close the window soon in order to develop Filipino bigs like Troy and Mac for the Gilas program. We may allow only one import per school lineup as transition to no more imports eventually. For next season, it could be only one import per lineup of 16 players so all schools will make tough choices.”

* * * *

FEU coach Nash Racela, who like counterpart Eric Altamirano is chasing his first major collegiate crown, said the Tams’ priority is to go back to basics and work on their fundamental defense. “Put a body on their bigs and not allow them to dominate the boards,” he said. “Lesser possessions mean lesser opportunities for them to score.”

In Game 2, NU had 14 more field goal attempts because of more possessions generated by a dominant control of the offensive boards. That’s the point of concern Racela singled out. NU’s defense also put a lot of pressure on FEU’s scorers, resulting in a lowly field goal percentage. Racela said that can’t happen again. “Offensively, we can’t force the issue and settle for bad shots,” he went on. “We only had eight assists in Game 2 (compared to 15 in Game 1). Ball movement will be key in Game 3.”

FEU hasn’t won a UAAP men’s senior basketball title since 2005 and NU’s drought goes back to 60 years when the Bulldogs claimed their first and only crown in 1954. One of those streaks will end today. NU fans insist destiny is calling and it’s about time the Bulldogs crashed the championship party. FEU fans claim history is on their side and tradition will bring the Tams back to the throne. Which side is to be believed?