Coach Derrick Pumaren in La. UAAP pictures
MANILA, Philippines – For La Salle coach Derrick Pumaren, the Green Archers simply lost to Atenio in their first clash of the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament.
The veteran coach lamented how his team failed to carry out their offensive game plan to exploit their first defeat and leave their opponents the only undefeated team.
“The way we played is disappointing. We made a lot of mistakes there, we didn’t do the things we were doing offensively. We just gave up. I see it, “Pumaren said after their 57-74 loss at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.
La Salle Atenio erased a 13-point lead behind Michael Phillips’ effort in the second quarter, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and reduced the lead to 42-41 at the start of the third period.
Atenio Blue Eagles. UAAP pictures
However, the Green Archers lost steam when the Green Archers drove the Blue Eagles’ third quarterly rise, which they held on to pay their way to their fourth consecutive win of the season and their 30th consecutive win since October 18.
“We told them we weren’t doing really well tonight. We were running away with what we should do. We didn’t run the offensive pattern that we should have run there, “said La Salle coach.” It’s over that there were a lot of shots taken.
La Salle was limited to 27-of-72 from the field. Transfer guards Mark Nonay and Evan Nelle finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the shooting of 7 of 23. The main character, Justin Baltazar, who promised to use everything he learned from Tab Baldwin during his Glass Pilipinus career, was tested with five points in just two of his 10 attempts.
“Part of the reason is that we ended up firing bad shots because no executions were carried out. We were doing something away from what we were supposed to do aggressively, “Pumaren lamented.
Pumaren and his wards have gone ahead of their sorry rate to their formidable rivals in the last closed-door game of the season, as they return to the drawing board and bounce back against the University of Santo Thomas (2-2) on Tuesday, where fans will return to the stand.
“The most important thing is how we got back on Tuesday. We have to learn from our mistakes tonight, “he said. “After almost two years, we are very excited that there are no crowds and no UAAP. Hopefully the supporters will be able to pump up the team when things are not going well for us. They can be a big help and they can be our sixth person. “
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