UAAP: Green Archers seek payback against FEU

Coming off a tough loss at the hands of the UP Fighting Maroons, the DLSU Green Archers will try to get back on track against no less than last year’s finalists, the FEU Tamaraws this Sunday, September 13, at 4pm in the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Green Archers were on the receiving end of a 71-66 upset last Wednesday afternoon when the Fighting Maroons won against the Taft-based squad for the first time in six years. Jett Manuel led UP with 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Paul Desiderio added 13. Prince Rivero led the Green Archers with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Andrei Caracut and Jeron Teng added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

FEU also lost their game last Wednesday, suffering a 72-71 defeat against the UST Growling Tigers. The Tigers had held the lead for most of the game as they forced Tolomia into committing 10 turnovers and later on withstood a comeback attempt by the Tamaraws late in the game.

During last season’s Final Four, the Tamaraws sent La Salle packing with a 67-64 win courtesy of a three pointer by Mac Belo at the buzzer. The Green Archers trailed FEU for the majority of the game but they were able to tie the match with a shot from Norbert Torres with just over 24 seconds remaining in the match. However, Mike Tolomia served as a decoy in FEU’s final play and passed the ball to a wide-open Belo as soon as he was double-teamed.

Belo led all scorers with 24 points, while Tolomia added 14 points and six assists. Teng had 13 points, while Jason Perkins added 12.

Ball movement and defense

For two games now, the Tamaraws were able to convert on at least 47 percent of their total attempts highlighted by their 51 percent field goal shooting against the ADMU Blue Eagles. In their heartbreaking defeat against the Tigers, they still managed to shoot a high percentage when on the other hand, DLSU has yet to crack 40 percent.

The efficiency of the Tamaraws’ offensive attack can be attributed to their willingness to rotate the ball, which often results to easy baskets. Currently, the Morayta-based squad is posting 16 assists as compared to the Green Archers’ nine.

Another concern for DLSU is their turnovers. Last Wednesday’s game was an offensive disaster for the Taft-based squad as they fatally paid for their miscues especially in the final moments of the game. They should keep their passes on point and precise, sharp instead of soft, and limit their errors so as to get their offensive rhythm going.

However, it will be the Green Archers’ defense that will play a most vital role in this quarterfinal match. Against the defending champions NU Bulldogs La Salle only allowed a stingy 30 percent shooting for the Bulldogs off a spirited defensive effort that ultimately and effectively shut down NU’s game for good. This effort was missing in last Wednesday’s game against UP.

Both teams enter Sunday’s game with identical 1-1 win loss records. Though the season is only a week old, the need to rack up wins as early as the first round would make this match as intense as a Final Four game, and given how both teams are pegged as title contenders, Sunday’s matchup is a potential Final Four or even finals preview.