One Day Later: UPHSD vs CSB, LPU vs JRU

Hard fought - the Altas won an ugly, but much-needed second win against CSB (pic source)

UPHSD 63 - CSB 57
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Player of the Game : Seeing a guy take 17 three pointers, plus five more two pointers, always weirds me out, especially if his final score is not in the forties, so sorry Jett Vidal, I'm going to have to give this award to two players, your big men Justine Alano and Anthony Paulino, who both finished with 10-10 statlines. Alano pulled down a team-high seven offensive rebounds, plus blocked two shots, while Paulino was more efficient as a scorer, but still managed four offensive boards and two assists. Given how big rebounding played into this game, it seems appropriate that we single these two out.

UPHSD Positives :

• Rebounds made a huge difference in this game, with Perpetual Help snagging 49 to just 36 by CSB, 20 to 8 on the offensive glass. That led to a 16-4 edge in second chance points.
• Getting George Allen back from achilles sprain was huge, as his energy carried the Altas early, especially when his two triples connected. He finished with eight points, five rebounds and two assists. If he can finally stay healthy, Perpetual Help becomes that much better.

UPHSD Negatives :

• A game after the Altas tallied a season-low 19 points after twenty minutes, Perpetual Help came dangerously close to matching it with 20 in the first half. They turned it up in the second half, but sooner or later, an opponent's going to come around and put them down, only this time, they won't be able to produce another comeback.
• The lack of fastbreak points continues to be an issue, as the Altas scored just two in that category in this game, a season-low.

CSB Positives :

• The running game was in full-force for the Blazers, as they got a season-high 20 fastbreak points, buoyed by the athleticism and speed of Paolo Taha and Jonathan Grey. 

CSB Negatives :

• Here's a litany of lows the Blazers were able to hit in this game: fewest points scored, worst three-point percentage, worst free throw percentage, first time to get single-digit assists, and lowest second and third quarter outputs.
• Once again CSB looked dominant for three quarters before encountering a hiccup in the fourth, righting themselves, and then collapsing again, but this time for good. It's something the coaching staff has to deal with if they're to get back in the hunt for the fourth seed.

Talking strategy - the Lyceum Pirates continue to surprise, even in the second round (pic source)

LPU 71 - JRU 65
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Player of the Game : Fine, Chris Cayabyab went 1 for 6 from beyond the arc, but to get his 19 points, he was also 7 for 11 from two-point, and he grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double. It's uncommon for a shooter to mix it up like that down low, so we have to commemorate that feat.

LPU Positives :

• Defense was the name of the game, as the Pirates held JRU to a measly nine points in the final period, while they scored 21 markers, turning the tables on the hapless Heavy Bombers. 
• Despite being undersized, Lyceum still managed to own the glass, getting a 53-34 rebounding edge that included a 22-16 advantage in offensive boards.They weren't quite able to capitalize on all those second-chance opportunities though, only getting a +4 in that category, 10 to 6.
• After a half of zoning the Bombers, the Lyceum braintrust decided to play straight up 1 on 1 defense to minimize the perimeter shooting of JRU, a move that contributed to the poor shooting of the Heavy Bombers late.

LPU Negatives :

• Only two triples made in this game for the best three-point shooting team in the league entering this game. As a result...they're no longer the best three-point shooting team in the league.
• Four flagrant fouls on three different players is a ridiculous number, no matter how physical and chippy JRU is. And unluckily, two of them had to land on Floricel Guevarra, the team's second leading scorer. Not only was it lucky that they won, they might  be hard-pressed to win without him in their next game as he serves his mandatory suspension. 

JRU Positives :

• Well, they at least got 24 turnover points, their second highest amount of the season...

JRU Negatives :

• What happened to the JRU big men? John Montemayor, John Lopez, and Jeckster Apinan were a combined 22 points and 21 rebounds, measly numbers for this trio. Furthermore, the team only had two blocked shots, and neither were by the three aforementioned players.
• JRU did themselves in with unforced turnovers, and more importantly, a ton of useless fouls. It's not like they had to foul to put big men they couldn't match up against on the line, but more of silly, excessive nudges and the like, the type that can drive a coach crazy. All in all, Lyceum shot 36 charities and made 23, while JRU was far away in comparison, with 24 trips to the line and 10 makes. 
• Nate Matute couldn't replicate his hot shooting in the first round against this same team, going 2 for 10 from downtown, 2 of 5 from inside the arc, and 1 for 4 from the line. Similarly, team captain Raycon Kabigting, on both the receiving and dealing end of flagrant fouls, scored only on two charities, missing all three field goals. 

NCAA Picking Record: 37-14