RERESBAK ANG MAROONS

Mga laro bukas:

(Mall of Asia Arena)

12 noon – UST vs FEU (Women Step-ladder)

4 p.m. – UST vs UP (Men Step-ladder)

SISIKAPIN ng University of the Philippines na makabawi sa University of Santo Tomas sa do-or-die match para sa nalalabing Finals spot sa UAAP men’s basketball tournament bukas sa Mall of Asia Arena.

Inamin ni coach Bo Perasol  na nadaig ang Fighting Maroons sa 69-89 loss sa Growling Tigers noong Linggo na nagpu­wersa sa step-ladder semis sa decider.

“The way we played in most of the quarters, there’s just no way we can win against UST. We need to be a lot better. We cannot just be the recipient of their aggressiveness. We need to match them,” ani Perasol.

Ang UP ay hindi nakatikim ng kalamangan sa 40-minute match na ikinalungkot ng Maroon-clad crowd sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“They understand that the reason that we lost three times this season against UST is because they outplayed and outhustled us,” wika ni Perasol.

“It has nothing to do with what we should have done defensively. If they are faster, we could not catch them. We couldn’t find a way to find the defensive rebound, they are going to get the second chance points,” dagdag pa niya.

Tanging sina MVP Bright Akhuetie at Juan Gomez de Liaño ang nagningninbg para sa Maroons kung saan malaking disappointments sina Kobe Paras at Ricci Rivero.

Si Paras ay nalimitahan sa single digits sa unang pagkakataon ngayong season, habang si Rivero ay nagmistulang ‘clueless’ sa floor.

Ang magwawagi sa 4 p.m. match bukas ay makakasagupa ng defending champion Ateneo sa best-of-three championship simula sa Sabado.