One Day Later: UPHSD vs SSCR, SBC vs JRU

SSCR 77 - UPHSD 76
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Player of the Game : The Stags ran more half-court sets and screens to free up Ronald Pascual. The result? A 6 for 11 clip from beyond the arc, that coupled with a 9 for 10 stint at the foul line, resulting in a 27 point game for the Stags' sharpshooter.

UPHSD Positives :

• They came a bounce or two away from upsetting the top-ranked team. Big positive right there.
• The Altas took advantage of the 12 more turnovers of the Stags and got 18 turnover points from their 23 miscues. They also were edged by just a point in terms of fastbreak points, scoring six in the final period. 
• Long-range shooting kept Perpetual Help in this game, as they went 11 for 28 from the field, or 39 percent.

UPHSD Negatives :

• After getting 30+ free throw opportunities in their last two games, the Altas sank back to just 12, converting seven.

SSCR Positives :

• Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.

SSCR Negatives :

• Head coach Topex Robinson tried slowing down the game to see if that would cure this squad's turnover illness. Sorry, try again. The Stags still committed 23 errors, with the top four scorers accounting for 19. 
• Ian Sangalang was shut down by the much smaller UPHSD defenders, holding him to just seven points, all scored in the third quarter, when the team went out of its way to allow him to score. 
• Getting just three second-chance points against a decidedly tinier team also has to irritate Coach Robinson.

JRU 76 - SBC 65
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Player of the Game : Rookie John Villarias set the tone early on scoring seven of his 12 points in the second quarter, when the Heavy Bombers began to pull away. Villarias made two triples, hauled down eight rebounds, dished out four assists and made three swipes in an all-around performance by this guy.

SBC Positives :

• Turning the ball over just 19 times against a team that averaged 21.9 coming into this game is an accomplishment. Sort of. 

SBC Negatives :

• The Lanete punch was really uncalled for. The Caram flagrant foul is a by-product of FIBA rules that state you can't grab the uniform, fine, and the elbow that Jake Pascual threw could be called accidental, but you can't "mistakenly" punch someone near the groin. A clear manifestation of the Red Lions imploding awhile ago. 
• A season-low 12 assists shows just how out of sync this squad was awhile ago. A season-low five fastbreak attempts likewise says the same thing.

JRU Positives :

• JRU did everything right, getting less turnovers than San Beda, 18 to 19, and turning those mistakes into an 18 to 11 turnover point edge. They also matched the Red Lions' rebounds, 36-all, and shot better from downtown, seven triples made while shooting 37 percent versus four triples on 25 percent shooting. 
• The Heavy Bombers took the lead early and never let-up, as the game featured just two lead changes and a single deadlock, all happening in the first period.
• Led by John Lopez' 17 points, the Heavy Bombers got scoring from multiple sources, with four different JRU players scoring in double-figures.

JRU Negatives :

•  JRU got less free throws, despite being hacked and sent to the line in the last 30 seconds of the game, but that's nitpicking. The Bombers scored the decisive upset, so we'll give this to them.

NCAA Picking Record: 50-17-1