One Day Later: EAC vs SBC, UPHSD vs CSB

Hail to the conquering hero - Garvo Lanete kicks back after scoring 32 points (pic source)

SBC 103 - EAC 62
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Player of the Game : Garvo Lanete was the first Red Lion on the scoring board, breaking a four minute San Beda drought, so it's appropriate that he was still in at the end of the game (if he got injured, then I would have said the complete opposite). The senior hotshot finished with 32 points, going 5 of 10 from downtown, and 8 of 10 from inside the arc. He also had five rebounds and four steals, having no difficulties with the 2-3 zone EAC put up.

EAC Stat to Watch : Turnovers were once again the Generals' downfall, with many of their 24 turnovers coming unforced. There were plenty of times when the ball handler of EAC just threw the ball away, either throwing into traffic, or to a teammate who was no longer there. Off those 24 errors, San Beda was able to get out and run to the tune of 26 turnover points.
EAC Player to Watch : Jan Jamon had far from an efficient game, scoring just 13 points on 5 of 13 shooting. Jamon rushed a lot of his shots, usually to avoid a San Beda defender, and clearly it affected his stroke.

SBC Stat to Watch : Scoring wasn't a problem for San Beda was the Red Lions hit the century mark late in the fourth quarter, making up for the anemic offensive performance against St. Benilde. They also held EAC to just 62 points, while getting huge advantages in fastbreak and turnover points.
SBC Stat to Watch : Surprisingly, Baser Amer came off the bench in this game, and produced an all-around game of 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. He shot fifty percent from the field, 5 of 10, but there were some attempts you clearly saw had no chance of going in when he launched them. Better shot selection might be the next thing to learn on this talented rook's list.

Other Stats: 

• San Beda finished with 34 fastbreak points, compared to 10 for EAC, and 26 turnover points, versus just 6 for the Generals.
• EAC scored just 27 points in the second half, while giving up 51 to the Red Lions.

Runaway train - the Altas were powerless to stop Paolo Taha (pic source)

CSB 88 - UPHSD 83
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Player of the Game : Scottie Thompson produced a good argument to be the second scoring option on this Perpetual Help Altas team, finishing with 23 points on 9 of 12 shooting, to go with five rebounds, an assist and a steal. 11 of his points came in the fourth quarter, but unfortunately, so did 1 of his 2 turnovers, in which one of his passes went awry, forcing the Altas to foul and put Tim McCoy on the line. Luckily the former Dolphin missed both, but that was a scoring opportunity they sorely needed at that point (and thus, the reason why we left it at "second option").

UPHSD Stat to Watch : Turnovers were few in this game, save for two crucial errors late for Perpetual Help. But as for turnover points helping a team create a lead, then weren't a whole lot, as predicted. The Blazers turned it over just 13 times, for 9 turnover points by the Altas. On the flipside, Perps made 12 miscues, which St. Benilde converted into 6 points.
UPHSD Player to Watch : Jeorge Allen helped give the Altas back some scoring punch and toughness down low, providing 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting, and six rebounds. It's a good start after missing four games for Perpetual Help, which badly missed his contributions.

CSB Stat to Watch : Though Saint Benilde had just 11 offensive rebounds, the Blazers made the most of all of them, scoring 15 second chance points. Meanwhile, the Altas, despite the boost from Jeorge Allen, hauled down just 10 repossessions, far from their average of 16.
CSB Player to Watch : Carlo Lastimosa was chided for not having an assist against Letran by his head coach, and the sophomore responded with 13 points and 5 assists, helping get the ball to scorers like  Paolo Taha, Jan Tan and Jonathan Grey. As Del Rosario pointed out, CSB is much deeper team than last season, with more scoring options. If Lastimosa can act as a decoy and then move the ball to open guys, they become a lot deadlier and harder to beat.

Other Stats:

• This game featured very little defense, with both sides basically swapping baskets. Case in point, the Blazers shot 57% from the field, while the Altas nearly hit half their shots, finishing at 49%
• Maybe it's as simple as this: CSB had five different players finish in double-digit scoring, with Anton Altamirano narrowly missing out with 9 points. Perpetual Help only had four in double digits.

NCAA Picking Record: 18-9