It was a game the Green Archers were expected to win. Depth, height and health, they had the edge. So what happened here?
Missed freethrows aside, the bigger mistake was that they were unable to make the necessary defensive adjustments when Ravena was shooting the lights out from the perimeter and Golla surprisingly making his jumpshots. When under-the-radar guys like Asistio and Tolentino are able to score, then there really is a problem.
On offense, they were tentative with their shot selection. So many missed shots from underneath the rim which could have made a big difference in the game.
Ball movement was also an issue, the Archers only had 9 assists as compared to ADMU’s 19. The Green Archers average 15 assists per game in their wins and just 10 when they lose. Not that big difference? That’s at least 10 plus points.
La Salle outrebounded ADMU by just one rebound. This should not be the case since most of their bigmen are injured. In fact, the Blue Eagles even had more defensive rebounds 38-30.
Overall, the Archers was not able to match the aggressivess of a short-handed Ateneo team. If there is one thing the team can learn from this loss, it’s that they should not treat the Blue Eagles lightly this season even despite the loss of their championship core. Also, the Blue Eagles will live and die with Ravena. To be honest, he is playing in a level above everyone else in this league.
La Salle has a trend of beating ADMU everytime in the Fil-Oil while always losing to them in UAAP. Some hinted that with the loss, we might finally see a reversal of fortunes. We don’t believe it will happen because of that, it still boils down to the team who wants it more.
I still feel La Salle has what it takes to contend this UAAP season. But if the team finds difficulty playing as a cohesive unit consistently, this will hinder them from reaching their goals.
Their preseason campaign has not yet ended. Let’s see how they will fare in the playoffs.
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