UAAP S74: DLSU vs UST

History Lesson:
Nursing a 49-27 lead at the break, it would take a complete collapse for the UST Growling Tigers to get back at the DLSU Green Archers. They got close, holding DLSU to just seven third quarter points, and threatening with just a point difference, 72-71 with seconds to go, but Jarelan Tampus saved the day after nearly ruining it for the green shirts, missing two charities, but securing the rebound and then making up for his gaffe by knocking these two down. With Kevin Ferrer missing an off-balance trey to force OT, La Salle was able to escape with the win, 74-71. (Recap here)

What's at Stake: 

• Both teams possess 4-5 records and are tied for the fourth seed, behind the third-place 6-4 FEU Tamaraws. With five games remaining on tap for both these squads, a win here would be huge, placing large amounts of pressure on the loser to sweep their remaining games if they hope to make the post-season.

DLSU Stat to Watch : On a two-game losing streak since the second round began, La Salle's offense has lost a lot of pep that made them a dangerous team. Not only do they average five less points scored now (72.71 to 67.5), all their freethrow related stats have dropped too, includes makes and percentage. Rebounding, assists, steals have also declined, while turnovers have shot up. Given the close nature of their first encounter with UST, if their offensive ineptitude continues, then this game may not even go down to the wire.
DLSU Player to Watch : Norbert Torres came out and dueled Karim Abdul to a standstill, getting 21 points and eight rebounds, but contributing five blocks as well. With Yutien Andrada out for the season and Arnold Van Opstal becoming a foul magnet, Torres will likely carry the load down low, and will need to come up big on both sides of the court.

UST Stat to Watch : The Growling Tigers have ruled the interior to a certain extent in the round two, ruling the rebounds like in the first round (20.5 offensive rebounds a game, 52.5 rebounds total, both tops in the league), but also getting the most swipes, with six in each encounter. With Andrada missing, that's one less capable big man rebounder the Archers will have against Karim Abdul.
UST Player to Watch : Jeric Teng was coming off the bench in their first round game after an injury sidelined him in their previous encounter, playing just 24 minutes and finishing with 14 points. Teng can be both a boon and a bane for UST as shown in that meeting. Teng was a disappointing 2 of 10 from the field, 1 for 4 from downtown, but he made up for it with a 9 for 10 stint at the foul line. If he gets into attack mode and sends Van Opstal and Torres into foul trouble, things open up drastically for UST.

Prediction: UST Growling Tigers