MANILA, Philippines – The trend of slow starts for the UP Fighting Maroons continued, but the team dug itself in such a deep hole this time, leading to the team’s worst loss under coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Lagging by as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter, UP lost just its second game of the season, stunningly by 20 points against the cellar-dwelling NU Bulldogs, 67-47, on Sunday, November 3.
“I wished that in these kinds of situations, I thought that we should have executed better… I’m not going to take anything away from NU, they played good defense on us,” Monteverde said after the game.
“Being the opposing team, if we are being defended well, we should call for better execution on our part. We had our open shots, but we were not making it,” he added.
While UP had incredibly risen from huge deficits this season — even by as many as 22 points to stun Adamson, 69-57, in the first round — the Maroons just had too many things going wrong this time, including shooting a woeful 17-of-65 (26.2%) from the field and committing a whopping 30 turnovers.
NU took advantage of the error-prone UP crew, producing 23 points off the Maroons’ turnovers.
The Bulldogs, who were called for 27 personal fouls, also had luck going their way as the Maroons knocked in only 9 of 24 free throws.
“I guess, in every game, even if we win or lose, we always try to find the things to improve on individually and as a team,” said Monteverde.
“I believe that these kinds of games should make us stronger also,” he continued.
“This loss could be big for us also as human beings, how to improve on things, both in the game, and in terms of character as well.”
The Maroons, though, need to rebound quick as they head to a finals rematch against league leader and defending champion La Salle on Sunday, November 10, at 6:30 pm, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
While La Salle (10-1) already secured a twice-to-beat edge in the Final Four, UP (9-2) needs one more win to claim the incentive.
“It’s the same mindset for every game, whether it’s La Salle, NU, or Adamson, because every game for us will be treated like a championship game,” said Monteverde.
“We demand to give the best that we could every game.” – Rappler.com
