Wary of complacency, Tamaraws look to finish off Bulldogs
A do-or-die game.
That is how Far Eastern U coach Nash Racela wants the Tamaraws to treat Game 2 on Wednesday afternoon when they go for all the marbles against the National U Bulldogs in their UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball titular showdown at the Araneta Coliseum.
Still the winningest school in the league’s men’s basketball tourney with 19 titles, FEU has a pair of chances to snap a nine-year title drought—since a formidable squad, then led by current San Miguel Beer star Arwind Santos, claimed the 2005 title against De La Salle U—but Racela said they have no reason to give dangerous NU any chance to survive—and force a sudden-death showdown next week.
“We’re going to treat the game with the same mentality. We’re going to treat it like a do-or-die game,” he said in a phone interview with Yahoo Philippines on Tuesday morning. “We continue to preach to our players not to give the other team a window to come back. Ibubuhos na talaga namin.”
The Tamaraws, who dethroned the Green Archers behind Mac Belo’s game-winning corner triple at the buzzer last week, are coming off a methodical 75-70 victory in the opener last Saturday, their third straight win in as many meetings against the Bulldogs this season.
But Racela admitted they still don’t have any advantage, as far as their man-to-man matchup with NU counterpart Eric Altamirano is concerned.
“We are not focusing on that. I think we are just a different mixture compared to those teams that they have beaten going to the finals,” he noted.
The Bulldogs initially defeated host University of the East in a playoff battle for the fourth and final semis spot then overcame a twice-to-beat edge against top-seeded Ateneo in the Final Four.
While the Bulldogs have been known for their collective suffocating defense anchored on center Alfred Aroga, Racela stressed the Tamaraws are also capable of doing that despite the presence of one of the league’s most potent offensive pairs in the mold of 6-foot-4 Belo and crafty guard Mike Tolomia, saying: "They always talk about our offense. Sabi nga nila, this is the finals between an offensive team and a defensive team. But I think what they overlook is that we are an underrated defensive team.”
Indeed. After allowing the Bulldogs get off to a strong start and build a 30-18 lead midway in the second canto of Game 1, the Tamaraws tightened up their defensive screws and countered back with their own big run, notably in the pivotal third mainly behind wingman Roger Ray Pogoy, then held their nerve down the stretch.
Although Belo and Tolomia combined for just 23 markers on 9-of-28 shooting from the field and accounted for nine of the team’s 14 turnovers, their supporting cast gave the Tamaraws a big lift, led by Pogoy who finished with 14 points. Starting guard Achie Inigo was the third FEU cager to reach double figures with 12 points while their reserves, guards Ron Dennison, Alfrancis Tamsi and center Raymar Jose, provided quality minutes.
Even the Tamaraws’ center Anthony Hargrove held his own against the 6-foot-6 Aroga, coming through with eight points aside from hauling down seven rebounds and swatting a game-high three shots. Aroga, in contrast, tallied a game-high 17 points in 15 contested tries on top of eight boards and a lone assist.
Although Belo struggled from the field in the opener, making just three of his 13 attempts from the field, Racela is confident the Midsayap, Cotabao native will “have a better game. But that depends on how NU will defend him.”
And if ever Belo will grope for form anew, it will be the least of Racela’s worries as long as the other Tamaraws answer his call. “The ideal thing for us, everybody must contribute. But that won’t be a reality as much as we want to. The other guys should be ready to step up if ever Mac, Mike or Hargrove struggle. And I’m confident they will be ready,” he noted.
