One Day Later: SBC vs UPHSD, SSCR vs EAC

SBC 69 - UPHSD 55
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Player of the Game : Kyle Pascual had a nice day dominating the interior, finishing the game with 15 points on 5 of 7 shooting. He also had 10 boards and four blocks, as the "bigs" of Perpetual Help couldn't keep the Red Lions out of the paint.

SBC Positives :

• After getting just 10 fastbreak points against the Stags, San Beda managed 15 versus the Altas, close to their 15.78 average entering the second round. 
• The veteran teamwork of the Red Lions showed, doubling the assists of Perpetual Help, 22-11.

SBC Negatives :

• San Beda's defense allowed the Altas to catch up twice, getting to within six and three points on two separate times before the Red Lions renewed their focus. Such comebacks are easy to deal with when you're playing the Altas, but probably not when you're up against a Letran or a San Sebastian.
• Coach Lim may have inserted his third stringers too early, sending in guys like Ryusei Koge and Paolo Pontejos at the latter part of the second quarter. As a result, San Beda wasn't able to pull away by a lot, giving Perpetual Help room to mount their comebacks. 
• Garvo Lanete's three-point shot continued to be off, as he finished 1 of 8 from beyond the arc. He at least helped in other categories, grabbing six boards and dealing out five assists (though he also committed four turnovers).

UPHSD Positives :

• The Altas managed to stay close to the Red Lions until the end, thanks in part to putting together some good numbers, hitting their second most triples in a game this season (nine) and grabbing their second most offensive boards (17). 
• Despite the lack of size, Perpetual outscored the Red Lions on second-chance points, 14 to 9 and grabbed one more offensive carom, 17 to16.
• Jaycee Asuncion came up big in limited minutes, scoring 15 points in 15 minutes, hitting 4 for 5 from beyond the arc.

UPHSD Negatives :

•  Perpetual Help managed just six points in the first quarter, a season-low for any team this season.
• Jett Vidal was once again almost more of a burden than a help. He finished with nine points, three rebounds and two assists, but he also led the team in turnovers in this game with four, and was a miserable 1 for 12 from downtown.

SSCR 99 - EAC 63
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Player of the Game : Calvin Abueva had what is probably his most efficient game of the season, finishing with 34 points in 34 minutes on 14 of 22 shooting, 5 of 7 from the free throw line. Then he went and added 14 rebounds, six assists a steal and a very rare, very awesome lone turnover.

SSCR Positives :

• Ian Sangalang posted some huge numbers too, getting 18 points and a whopping 25 rebounds, 15 on the offensive end. Those latter two figures both happen to be highs for the season as well. 
• How complete was the Stags' domination on the boards? Sangalang by himself matched the entire EAC squad's rebounding totals. The Generals also got just six offensive rebounds, compared to 24 by the Stags, leading to a 14-0 advantage in second-chance points. Their 61-25 rebounding differential also led to a 21-10 domination in fastbreak points. 
• Each player fielded in by head coach Topex Robinson scored at least one point in the game.

SSCR Negatives :

• Defensively, the Stags' intensity seemed to come and go. It didn't exist in the first quarter, and faded in and out late in the third and early in the fourth quarter. 
• San Sebastian still has a turnover problem, making 18 errors despite EAC not really being known as a team that forces errors. Luckily for them, the Generals couldn't capitalize, getting just eight turnover points. 
• Ronald Pascual seemed to have an off-game, scoring 16 on 6 of 13 shooting, to go with six rebounds and two assists. He must have still been exhausted from Friday's match against the Red Lions.

EAC Positives :

• Four Generals managed to score in double-digits, with Claude Cubo leading the way with 15 markers. 

EAC Negatives :

• Emilio Aguinaldo is known for their one on one play, and it showed, as they tallied just 10 assists in this game, while San Sebastian had 22 in the same category.
• So inept were the EAC big men that Dhan Diolanto and Rafael Sanchez combined for just two rebounds. Claude Cubo led the team with four, while Russell Yaya had two boards. 
• I'm not sure why head coach Gerry Esplana chose to go with Renz Juliano, and Roy Villegas instead of someone like Igee King, or giving more minutes to Jan Jamon (17 played in this game). Neither were very productive though in their stints on the floor. 

NCAA Picking Record: 35-12