FilOil 2012 - April 18 box scores

The box scores for AdU vs LPU, JRU vs EAC and SBC vs UST, under the cut

Updated to include ADMU vs UPHSD

FilOil Random Thoughts - Gameday April 18, 2012

In addition to this blog post, I also wrote the primer for GMA News Online. Give it a read why don't you? And then come back here.

LPU Pirates vs ADU Soaring Falcons

• Lyceum lost all seven of their games in last season's Fil-Oil, but rebounded nicely in the actual NCAA as a guest team. It will be interesting to see if head coach Bonnie Tan will be out to win or if he's going to be more focused on testing line-ups and working in their new players.
• Speaking of new players, Lyceum has two new centers, Daniel Garcia and Joseph Ambohot. Both though are ridiculously raw, based on what I saw of them in the Fr. Martin Cup. That said, it's unlikely Lyceum will be using them to score, and would rather they focus on rebounding. With Austin Manyara (6.0 rebs in 20.7 mins) and Eric Camson (7.6 rebs in 23.1 mins) standing across the court though, they may be in for a rough day.
• Adamson's point guard position has to worry fans of the Soaring Falcons, as they are going from Jerick Canada and Lester Alvarez to...Ryan Monteclaro. The team is also hoping that Jericho Cruz, who is more of a wingman, can be converted to play the position. 

UPHSD Altas vs ADMU Blue Eagles

• This should be the debut of new head coach Aric del Rosario for the Altas. It'll be interesting to see if he has done anything drastic to their playing style. 
• The Altas should have some added size in foreign center Femi Babayemi and former Junior Alta Eugene Canuza. Would those two be enough to stop the giants on Ateneo, especially Greg Slaughter? 
• I wasn't a big fan of the starting five Ateneo put out versus Letran - Slaughter, Golla, Sumalinog, Ravena, Tiongson. The offense took a while to get going, and it seems like Sumalinog still has not rediscovered his shot. Salva presumably was nursing a minor injury, logging just nine minutes, which is why he didn't start. 
• One thing Letran did that I presume the Altas will try, is to put a big guy with range on Slaughter, and then run plays on offense to free him up on the perimeter, daring Slaughter to chase him out to the arc. The Knights tried that with Junjun Alas, but he was unable to make Ateneo pay for leaving him open, missing all three of his triples. 
• I thought it was clever of acting head coach Sandy A. to pair Buenafe up in the second unit with JP Erram and Tonino Gonzaga. Though the former Finals MVP has lost a lot of weight, he's still not quite in peak condition, but that's negated by Erram and Gonzaga, who are two athletic help defenders who can compensate for Buenafe losing his man.

 JRU Heavy Bombers vs EAC Generals

• JRU relies on generating turnovers for turnover points for a large chunk of their offense. They got the tables turned on them in their debut against NU, as the Bulldogs forced 23 errors and scored 23 points off them. Meanwhile, the Bombers managed to force 16 turnovers, but could only score four points ,as the superior athleticism and speed of the Bulldogs allowed them to catch up and flash some impressive transition defense. 
• While everyone on JRU had a bad outing, of note is the poor performance of John Villarias. The sophomore put up some nice numbers in his rookie year (10.7 points, 4.5 rebs, 2.6 asts, 1.2 stls) but he was a miserable 1-for-8 from the field for just two points in his 19 minutes of play. 
• The EAC Generals might be even more of a perimeter-oriented team than last season, after losing their best post player, Claude Cubo (11.7 points, 7.3 rebounds), to graduation. Their remaining prospects at center don't exactly inspire confidence though. Rafael Sanchez (11.4 mins, 1.5 points, 2.4 rebs in NCAA S87) is the veteran, and they have two rookies in Jeff Mallari and Dominador Pillas, but their best bet might be foreign center Happi Noube, who had averages of 8.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in last year's FilOil tourney. 
• While rosters are still in flux, it's worth noting that EAC did not list two of their main contributors from last season's campaign, Milan Vargas (8.5 points, 4.2 rebs) and Fil-Am Joshua Torralba (10.4 points, 3.6 rebs). Even without them though, they still have the likes of Jan Jamon (13.7 points, led the team in scoring in the NCAA), Remy Morada (5.1 points) and Franz Chiong (4.5 points), shooters will who will benefit from more touches.

SBC Red Lions vs UST Growling Tigers 

• After conceding a 0-6 start to DLSU in their season opener, San Beda bounced right back scoring the first quarter's last 13 points, on route to a big lead, 49-34, headed into the final quarter. But they eased up on the gas a bit too early, allowing the Archers to claw back in the dying minutes, slicing the deficit to four, 67-63 with 16 seconds remaining. 
• The team's surprise package was undersized scorer Ryusei Koga, who poured in eight points in 10 minutes on 4-of-7 shooting. He also chipped in three boards and two assists in limited minutes and so it'd be interesting to see if he can pull off similar production again. 
• The Red Lions struggled on the perimeter, making just 4-of-11 from beyond the arc. Take away Anjo Caram's two late triples, and the rest of the team was a mere 2-of-9, with Julius Armon posting a 1-for-5 clip.
• The Tigers return a mostly intact line-up, but their one loss is a big one, power forward Chris Camus (7.27 points, 7.67 rebs, 1.47 asts, 1.13 stls, 1.53 blks), who was their best defender last season. Guys like Melo Afuang and Karim Abdul will have to do a better job on the boards to compensate for his absence. 
• The return of Clark Bautista and Aljon Mariano will definitely help a bench unit that averaged just 19.27 points last UAAP season. If Louie Vigil and Kim Lo continue to make strides as well, then UST will be a tougher team to tangle with.

FilOil 2012 - April 14 box scores

Box scores for ADMU over CSJL, SBC over DLSU and NU over JRU, under the cut

FilOil Random Thoughts - Gameday April 14, 2012

ADMU vs CSJL

• Ateneo lost three of their four best perimeter defenders to graduation, Kirk Long, Emman Monfort and Bacon Austria. Their ability to stop trigger-happy guards immediately gets tested as they go up against the likes of Mark Cruz, Kevin Alas, and Kevin Racal. Can Juami Tiongson, Kiefer Ravena, Tonino Gonzaga, and new Eagles Kiefer Lim and Nico Elorde pick up the slack?
• That said, Kevin Alas is still questionable for today's game. 

Game Day! Hope I can play! Arriba Letranista!
— Kevin Louie Alas (@kevinlouiealas) April 14, 2012

• The Greg Slaughter (13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks) - Raymond Almazan (7.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks) match-up could decide the game. If Slaughter gets into attack mode early and gets Almazan into foul trouble, that opens up the interior for Ateneo's slashers. 
• Another intriguing match-up will be Nico Salva (13.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 47.15% FG shooting) against Jam Cortes (12.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 49.48% FG shoting). Salva will drag Cortes to the perimeter, where he's got the advantage, but on the flipside, Cortes can punish Salva by backing him into the post. 
• Ateneo has a hard time with physical defenses, as seen in their struggles against San Sebastian in the PCCL. Letran plays a similar kind of defense, though they do not have an all-around Calvin Abueva type who can stop multiple positions. Time to see if the Eagles have learned from that thrashing. 

SBC vs DLSU

• Player most likely to excel under new head coach Ronnie Magsanoc: Baser Amer (18.5 minutes, 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.9 steals). Amer had a hard time adjusting to then-head coach Frankie Lim's system, which saw him constantly checking over his shoulder to see what play he needed to run on that specific possession. If Magsanoc is more willing to let Amer get creative and run wild, he could put up near his high school numbers average of 11.7 assists
• Player most likely to excel under new head coach Gee Abanilla: Joshua Webb (9.6 minutes, 3.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists). Last season saw Webb post his worst numbers since his rookie year, as then-head coach Dindo Pumaren buried him on the bench. We saw glimpses of this already in the PCCL, when the Archers turned Webb loose, allowing him to post several double-digit scoring games  (13.75 points through 4 games. When they got knocked out versus Letran, he tellingly only tallied 6 markers). Webb in transition and coming off the weak side is tons better than the catch-and-shoot Webb we saw in Season 74
• The last time these two teams played, San Beda needed a game-winner by Garvo Lanete to come out on top, 70-68.
• No Arnold Van Opstal for La Salle, as he's still nursing an injury. That leaves Norbert Torres, Papot Paredes, Yutien Andrada, Jovet Mendoza and Ponso Gotladera to go up against Ola Adeogun. 

Missing out on filoil due to a torn hamstring. Sorry to the fans and supporters, very unfortunate and ill timed.
— Arnold van Awesome (@Arnoldvanopstal) April 3, 2012

• Intriguing rookie match-up: Julius Armon versus Jeron Teng. Of course, Armon has several years on Teng, plus experience playing in the Fr. Martin Cup, while Teng is fresh from high school, though to his credit, he has played in international competition. Still, Armon is much more of a polished product at this point than Teng that this could get out of hand should they face off one-on-one. 

NU vs JRU

• The last time these two teams played, it was in the PCCL and a Bobby Ray Parks-less NU team fell 66-62 to a complete JRU squad.
• NU's biggest weakness, an average of 19.14 turnovers per game, happens to be JRU's strength, 21.58 turnovers forced for 18.37 turnover points. If the Heavy Bombers defense can disrupt the undersized NU point guards, Cedrick Labing-isa, Robin Rono, Gelo Alolino, and rookie JJ Alejandro, this could be a long game for the Bulldogs
• Intriguing match-up: John Villarias (10.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals) versus Bobby Ray Parks (20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals).

PCCL 2011 - ADU vs JRU

Three Up

• The Falcons drew strong play from two guys who were often criticized for their tendency to disappear in games in their win against JRU, namely Janus Lozada and Austin Manyara. Lozada's long arms did a good job harassing Nate Matute, preventing him from catching fire, and they also allowed him to haul down 11 rebounds, impressive because he's never hauled down double-digit boards in his UAAP career. Manyara on the other hand, could not be stopped by the JRU bigs, as he was sent to the line a whopping 15 times where he converted 12. To put that into context, Manyara hit just 40 percent of his free throws in the past UAAP season, and has only gone to the line at most, six times, which happened twice in his rookie year.
• In Season 73, the Falcons were masters of the swipe, norming 7.2 steals and forcing 19.8 turnovers per game. Those numbers dropped considerably in Season 74 (5.69 and 16.63, respectively) as they somehow morphed into the slowest team in the league, but Adamson tapped into that past identity versus a sloppy JRU team (third-most turnovers in the NCAA). Without really pressing, instead relying nearly exclusively on a zone defense, the Falcons were able to get 8 steals and force 22 turnovers for 25 turnover points.
• Jeckster Apinan was the lone bright spot for the Heavy Bombers, as the undersized big man used his athleticism to score on the taller, stronger Falcons frontline. His 17 points off the bench in 25 minutes was a team-best. 

Three Down

• After playing an insane 38 minutes, Alex Almario got the start for JRU and looked and played like he was exhausted. Almario logged nine minutes in the first half, good for an assist, two turnovers, and not much else. By the final buzzer, the total was 24 minutes, 3 points, 6 assists and 4 turnovers. Do you think Coach Meneses regrets riding his point guard so much versus NU? 
• John Lopez went through an 8-game stretch in the middle of the NCAA season where he scored in double-digits just once in that span. Unsurprisingly, the team was 2-6 in that same time. This looked like a game from that stretch as the power forward was just 2 of 7 from the field with no free throws, as Jan Colina and Eric Camson split time shutting him down. Though he managed 10 rebounds and 4 assists, he also gave it back just as much with 6 turnovers.
• Going back to the topic of poor performances by a point guard, Lester Alvarez came off the bench for a nine-minute stretch where he tallied a mere two points, an assist, and two turnovers before getting his foot trampled on by a JRU player, forcing him to be subbed out. Definitely underwhelming from this explosive player. 

Random Notes

• Alex Nuyles was suited up but was not fielded in. At first I thought it was to save him for their PBA-DL game, but then he's not listed on their roster online. He must be injured then right? 

 
PCCL 2011: ADU vs JRU

PCCL 2011 - NU vs JRU

Three Up

• JRU knew exactly what to do on defense, sending guys sprinting back down the court after made shots, while keeping an eye out to intercept any outlet errant outlet passes. It didn't always work, NU still got 13 transition attempts and 14 transition points, but in comparison to the Bulldogs' first three games, it was enough for the Bombers to get the win. 
• The big men of JRU also did a good job on Emmanuel Mbe for most of the game. In the first half, the Cameroonian center was held to just 4 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block on a team-high 14 minutes of play and had accumulated 2 personal fouls. Mbe would explode in the third quarter for 4 minutes, before foul trouble sat him down again, but in the final period, he had just 2 points in 8 minutes.
• Balanced scoring on the part of JRU meant they were difficult for NU to stop. Though only John Lopez finished with double-digit points, 10, the fourth placers in the NCAA then had two players with eight points each, four players with seven, and then one with six.

Three Down

• NU had gotten back to back easy drives into the lane by Jeoffrey Javillonar to cut NU's lead down to 63-62, but after Nate Matute's split at the line made it a two-point game, the Bulldogs coaching staff made the curious move of subbing in Reden Celda, who had not played at all in the fourth quarter up to that point, and letting him attempt the game-tying layup. Celda's move wound up being short, and JRU was able to win. Perhaps they were going for the element of surprise there, but Celda was coming in ice cold, while Javillonar had already scored 8 in the period. It just strikes me as an odd move, though had it gone in, it would have obviously been a huge deal. 
• Talk about your bad shooting days. JRU's star rookie John Villarias was a miserable 3 of 15 from the field for 8 points. It wasn't as if he were shut down too, Villarias simply missed a lot of shots he normally makes. 
• Alex Almario played a game-high 38 minutes, the only player in fact, to log more than 30. Think it affected his play? Almario played the entire fourth quarter and had nothing to show for it, zeroes in every stat, except for turnovers, where he had two.   

Random Notes

• This up-tempo NU squad played a lot better than the half-court oriented team we saw in the UAAP (they were ranked 6th in the league in fastbreak attempts and points), but unfortunately, they didn't survive long enough for us to see them try to integrate Bobby Ray Parks in the mix.
• There's a rumor that these players, plus Parks, will form the core of the NU team next season, meaning Joseph Terso, Spencer Eman, Jul-Ashri Ignacio, Robby Celiz, and Marion Magat are all off Team A. That's certainly more believable than the similar rumor that had every NU player on a D-League roster being off the team. 
• JRU's Ralph Monserrat was productive in the time he spent on the floor, though he did accumulate four fouls in 16 minutes. With John Montemayor graduating, Monserrat will likely see an uptick in minutes next year. He'll need to bulk up though, because he lacks a lot of heft compared to Montemayor.

 

PCCL 2011 - NU vs JRU

NCAA S87 F4 Preview: #1 SBC vs #4 JRU

History Lesson:
Aug. 10: San Beda 77- JRU 69 (recap)
Sept. 14: JRU 76 - San Beda 65 (recap)

How JRU could win: In their second-round match-up, the Heavy Bombers managed to conk out the machine-level efficiency of San Beda, holding them to a season-worst 12 assists. That led to the Red Lions scoring their nadir of the season, a puny 65 points, which is a big deal considering how this squad has broken the century mark three times this season. It didn't help that the normally productive bench unit of Coach Lim came up with just 21 points, the only time this year it's scored less than 31. With all of that in mind, it seems like JRU may want to try to let Garvo Lante try to beat them on his own (5 of 18 for 20 points in round two), while shutting down the rest of the team. That's certainly a risky proposition, but it may be a gamble worth taking, given how they're already the underdogs in this series.

JRU could use big games from:

• John Lopez. The big man scored just eight points on 4/9 shooting in round one, but more than doubled his output in the rematch, 17 points on 10/17 shooting.
• Nate Matute. JRU's designated sniper always seems to get open versus the San Beda defense, shredding them for 7 triples in 16 attempts versus the team.
• Raycon Kabigting. Team captain was invisible in round one (eight minutes, 0 points, 0/1 from the field), but had a key role in game two off the bench (20 minutes, 13 points, 4/9 from the field).

How SBC could win: After a pitiful 1 for 11 outside shooting performance versus Lyceum, the defending champs have been shooting lights out, 40 percent to be exact, in the last three games. Combine that with their big man depth, and a concentrated effort to run more since that JRU loss (from nine fastbreak points to 16.71 in their last seven), and it's clear that taking down San Beda at this juncture is a daunting task. But the Red Lions' trick up their sleeves may just be giving the Bombers a taste of their own medicine. JRU forces a league-best 21.94 turnovers per game, but they themselves make a third-worst 20.89 miscues in each outing. And since JRU doesn't have the firepower that San Beda does, that could lead to a hole they can't climb out of.

SBC could use a big game from:

• Garvo Lanete. San Beda's go-to guy had 23 points on 5 of 11 three-point shooting, 7 for 17 from the field, with five assists and two turnovers in round one. He scored 20 in round two, but needed a 3 for 10 from downtown, 5 for 18 field goal clip to get that, along with just a single dime and three errors. 
• Dave Marcelo. Graduating big man is 8 of 10 from the field versus JRU, but in game one, he complemented his scoring with eight rebounds, five blocks and one turnover. In game two, he had just three boards, no blocks and five turnovers.
• Anthony Semerad. The shooty big man is a mismatch for every team in the NCAA, but has played a grand total of seven minutes versus JRU this year because of injuries. In his last three games, he's normed 13.67 points, making half of his 14 triples, and is 12 for 17 from the line. 

Prediction: SBC Red Lions 

One Day Later: EAC vs JRU, LPU vs CSB

JRU 90 - EAC 77
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Big man John Lopez padded the stat sheet to the tune of 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal, with 13 of those points coming in the second half, when the Heavy Bombers pulled away.

By the Numbers :

• The big story of course is the turnover points category, as JRU turned up the intensity of their press to come back from a 10-point deficit. In the first half, they had 14 points from 10 EAC miscues, numbers that bloated to 22, off 13 turnovers in the latter part of the game.
• EAC tried to compensate by getting to the line, off the physical JRU defense. They shot 20 of 28 from the stripe, above and beyond JRU's 9 of 16 clip, but it still wasn't enough.
• The Bombers matched a season-high with 22 assists in the game.

The Other Names : 

• Milan Vargas notched his season-high in the loss, with 20 points on 6 of 9 shooting, 8 of 10 from the stripe. He also finished with four assists to four turnovers. 
• JRU's shooters were on the mark today, as they have been for the latter part of the season. John Villarias, Nate Matute and Raycon Kabigting were a combined 5 of 10 from downtown. The team as a whole shot 18.25 percent in round one, a figure that has crept up to 31.1 percent since.

LPU 94 - CSB 89
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Floricel Guevarra scored a season-high 27 points in exactly 27 minutes off the bench, while also adding eight rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block in the process. Guevarra took up the scoring cudgels from an ice-cold Chris Cayabyab and delivered, with 16 points in the last 15 minutes of the game.

By the Numbers :

• From the opening tip, the Pirates resolved to be the more aggressive team, attacking the rim to get to the line early and often. They finished with a 52 to 31 advantage in foul shots, a disparity that became more pronounced when you factor in that Lyceum made 73 percent or 38 of those freebies, while CSB converted only 18 or 58 percent. 
• Despite said edge, the game was still back and forth from start to finish, with 15 deadlocks and 17 lead changes. The biggest lead of the game was just six, held twice by Lyceum at the start of the fourth and overtime.

The Other Names :

• Both Michael Pate and Carlo Lastimosa turned in flawed performances, missing out on opportunities to win the game. The two were a combined 1 for 12 from outside the arc, and the Pirates were well aware of it, giving up the outside shot, especially to Pate, numerous times. Lastimosa also managed just splits at the foul line in the fourth, and in OT. Two made shots at the former could have put the game away, as it would have formed a two-shot advantage, while the latter would have made the deficit just two points instead of three. 
• Jan Tan managed a 12-12 performance, but was limited to only 24 minutes due to a combination of foul trouble, and a desire by head coach Richard Del Rosario to match up with the tiny Pirates. 

NCAA Picking Record: 64-23-3

NCAA S87: EAC vs JRU

History Lesson:
While sniper Nate Matute was out with a groin injury, it sure didn't seem like JRU needed him to disarm the Generals, outmatching them early by getting out in transition. Forcing 32 turnovers, the Heavy Bombers scored 30 turnover points, as John Villarias and John Lopez won this one easily, 76-60. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• At 8-9, JRU has already clinched the fourth seed in the playoffs and can't catch up with Letran. They can however, enter the Final Four with momentum on their side, and a .500 record if they win this one.
• Currently 4-13, EAC is trying to make history repeat itself. They finished Season 86 tied with Perpetual Help, and a win would allow the Generals to drag a team down to the bottom with them, so to speak. Should they lose though, they'll have last place all to themselves.

EAC Stat to Watch : EAC is in last place when it comes to free throw attempts and makes, but they should have plenty of opportunities to go to the line given the physical nature of JRU's defense. They'll just have to hope they convert more than their normal 61.54 percent clip, which is in the bottom half of the NCAA.
EAC Player to Watch : Jan Jamon will look to close out the season with his third straight 20-point game. Averaging 23.5 points on 52.94 percent shooting, the EAC coaching staff has to concede that riding a sharpshooting Jamon might be their best bet at getting a "W."

JRU Stat to Watch : JRU will look to get a repeat of the first game by forcing the Generals into turnovers, for easy points. That may not be a problem, considering how the ball-handling situation of that team has actually deteriorated. EAC gave up 15.1 turnover points on average in the first round, but it bloated up to 19 in the second round.
JRU Player to Watch : Jeckster Apinan has been JRU's best rebounder, hauling down double-digit boards in nine of the team's 17 games. With EAC lacking ceiling outside of Claude Cubo, Apinan ought to dominate his match-up, and thus, the interior.

Prediction: JRU Heavy Bombers

One Day Later: CSJL vs CSB, JRU vs MIT

Carlo Lastimosa and the rest of the Blazers came up short versus Letran (pic source)

CSJL 72 - CSB 60
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : The small but deadly rookie Mark Cruz nailed two big triples to help the Knights stay ahead, finishing with 11 points, (2/2 from beyond the arc, 3/4 from the field, 4/4 from the line) four rebounds, an assist and a steal to no turnovers. He's a great change of pace point guard from the more conservative Franz Dysam, and despite his lack of size, does not back down at all to those he guards.

By the Numbers :

• Scoring five points in just a quarter in an embarrassment...but then again, CSB did get to within two points, twice. And when it was all said and done, Letran won by "just" 12 points, one more than the difference in the first quarter (16 to 5). 
• As expected, Letran dominated the boards, 54 to 33, 17 to 11 on the offensive glass, leading to a whopping 10 to 2 score in second-chance points for the Knights.
• CSB managed to lead in two of the hustle point stats, 19 to 12 in fastbreak points, including 13 in the third quarter, and 13 to 4 on turnover points, after making eight less mistakes than Letran's 18. 
• Benilde came from back to back games in which they shot better than 80 percent from the field, and were norming 65 percent from the line entering this game. Unfortunately, they were just 22 of 39 in this match, or 56 percent. 

The Other Names :

• The expected shoot-out between Kevin Alas and Carlo Lastimosa was a bit of a dud, unless you're a fan of misses. Alas led Letran with 16 points, but he was 5 for 13 from the field, 6 of 16 from the line in 35 minutes. Lastimosa on the other hand was the opposite of his efficient game versus San Beda, going 4 of 14 to finish with 11 points in 23 minutes, splitting his six free throws. Alas also finished with five turnovers, while Lastimosa made just two errors.
• Jam Cortes dominated inside with 12 points and 14 rebounds, but had five turnovers. 
• I understand that shooters have to shoot themselves out of slumps, but Jan Tan's inability to can medium-range jumpers hurt his team's momentum numerous times as the guards kept driving and dishing to him at the elbow. Tan finished 1 for 11 from the field for four points in 32 minutes. Had that been Mark Romero, this game would have been a lot more close. 

One-man team, but the Snake couldn't do it alone in his final game as a Cardinal (pic source)

JRU 78 - MIT 64
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : The Alex Almario of the summer league was a hyper-efficient, pass first floor general, one that has yet to rear its head in the NCAA proper. That said, Almario has been scoring, and he had his best game of the season in this match, finishing with 17 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the field, 7 of 8 from the line. With the defense keying in on guys like Raycon Kabigting and Nate Matute, Almario was often able to score unopposed.

By the Numbers :

• Through a combination of JRU defense, and what seemed like unpreparedness, Mapua found its offense sputtering throughout the game. They scored just 64 points, down from an average of 72 headed into the game. They got their second-worst three-point shooting performance this season (just 14 percent, with their worst being seven percent), and a 51 percent rate at the line, after norming 62 percent in their other 17 games.
• I've long criticized MIT head coach Chito Victolero's inability to manage the playing time of his guys, and this could clearly be seen in this game. While he finally realized that you need to play Allan Mangahas in crunchtime, he then went and gave Josan Nimes just three useless minutes when the game was out of reach, and completely forgot about big man Mark Sarangay. Prior to the fourth quarter, Nimes had scored nine points, while Sarangay was responsible for eight. 
• The Heavy Bombers creamed MIT in several categories, including all the hustle stats, but the most important figure might be assists, where they had a 17 to 8 advantage, a number that says a lot about both teams. 

The Other Names :

• All four of JRU's double-digit scorers came from their backcourt. Aside from Almario, Raycon Kabigting, John Villarias and Nate Matute combined for 37 points on 14 of 28 shooting, with each adding a triple to the mix. 
• Do-it-all Mangahas was the only Cardinal in double-figures, scoring 22 on 10 of 18 shooting. He also had seven boards and two assists in his final collegiate game.
• Big man Ralph Monserat came off the JRU bench and contributed nine points and six rebounds, outplaying his Mapua counterparts.
• Yousef Taha was apparently suspended for this game due to disciplinary reasons by the team. Yes, on the very last game of the season when they had a chance to force a playoff for the fourth seed. That's both very brave, and very stupid.

NCAA Picking Record: 61-21-2

NCAA S87: JRU vs MIT

History Lesson:
The Mapua Cardinals choked away a 60-48 fourth quarter advantage, as stingy JRU defense late held MIT to just nine points, while scoring 22 of their own. Raycon Kabigting caught fire late, scoring seven of his 14 in the final period, while on the other end, Mapua helped dig their own grave, when an errant elbow by Yousef Taha drew blood on Allan Mangahas, forcing the Cardinals to sit their veteran point guard. Without his leadership, Mapua could not execute on the final play, after a split at the line by Alex Almario. Though they had 17.8 seconds left to make a play, smart use of fouls to give by JRU had Josan Nimes inbounding with 1.8 seconds left. The Heavy Bomber defense immediately swarmed the ball-handler off the pass, and as a result, JRU squeaked by with a 70-69 win. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• With two games remaining on their slate, the 7-9 JRU Heavy Bombers could knock the 7-10 Mapua Cardinals out of contention with a win here. On the other hand, an MIT victory means the Cardinals will at the very least, figure into a playoff, should it comes down to that. 

JRU Stat to Watch : The streaking Heavy Bombers extended their win streak to four after thrashing the Altas. They've managed to hold opponents to just 63.5 points in that span, a big improvement from the period prior to their streak, in which they gave up roughly 73 points. Mapua currently norms 72.18 points, but they've lost 4 of their last 5, and in each defeat, failed to break the 70 point barrier.
JRU Player to Watch : After scoring in double-digits just twice in their first 11 games, team captain Raycon Kabigting has found his groove, with a five game streak of scoring 10 or more points. They'll need him to help spread the floor for their big men, along with Byron Villarias and Nate Matute.

MIT Stat to Watch : The Cardinals have a ton of big men to help patrol the paint, but their perimeter defenders like Jumel Chien and Andretti Stevens are more nuisances than real obstacles, leading to the Cardinals conceding a 33 percent clip from downtown, worst in the league. Considering how JRU has found their range from downtown (leaping from 19.53 percent in round one to 31.37 percent in round two), the last thing the Cardinals need is to watch JRU connect on long-range jumpers.
MIT Player to Watch : Is Yousef Taha a liability or an asset? While is scoring is up, thanks to a lengthy miss-less streak at the free throw line (13/13 in his last two games), his field goal percentage and rebounding goes up and down seemingly without rhyme or reason. The bigger problem though are his turnovers. He hasn't committed less than three since July 27 and is averaging a team-worst 4.75 turnovers in the second round.

Prediction: JRU Heavy Bombers

One Day Later: JRU vs UPHSD, AU vs SBC

JRU 64 - UPHSD 57
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Rookie John Villarias continues to impress, this time sharing the top-scoring honors with captain Raycon Kabigting as both finished with 11 points. Villarias however, was able to hit a crucial three-pointer with a second left on the clock in the overtime period, shifting momentum onto the side of the Bombers. He also added eight rebounds, and a team-high five assists in just 26 minutes of play. 

The Numbers :

• It's a mystery to me why JRU seems to struggle versus Perpetual Help. The two sides combined to score just 18 points in the second quarter, giving us a 24-20 halftime score, numbers some teams put up in a quarter. 
• The biggest factor in JRU's four-game winning streak? It's been their ability to hit outside shots now, 6 of 20 from beyond the arc in this game. They shot just 19.13 percent in their first 12 games, a pretty pathetic figure, for an average of 2.67 triples per game. That's been jacked up to 36.41 percent during their win streak, doubling their triples to 6.25.
• Even with the overtime period, the Altas managed to set their second-lowest amount of field goals in a game this season with 18. They previously made just 14 versus Letran in the first round.

The Other Names :

• Jeckster Apinan didn't have the scoring in today's game, as he was just 3 of 4 from the field for seven points, but he provided the interior defense, pulling down 13 rebounds and swatting two shots.
• Scottie Thompson may be the one to watch in Perpetual Help's future. The rookie from Davao continues to excel for this squad, notching a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while adding two assists, two steals and three blocks.

SBC 84 - AU 60
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Jake Pascual turned in another strong performance, destroying the Arellano frontline with 16 points on 8 of 10 shooting in 21 minutes. He also pulled down 10 rebounds, dished out six assists and made a block.

The Numbers :

• San Beda wanted to try playing a full-court defense to put pressure on their opponents, in preparation for Letran and San Sebastian. The results are...mixed. Though they tallied 18 fastbreak points and 16 turnover points, they only forced 14 turnovers on the Chiefs, while committing 24 miscues themselves. Arellano meanwhile finished with 10 fastbreak points and 15 turnover points, and could have had more if they had made a few more layups.
• Big surprise: Arellano went to the line more times than San Beda, 20 to 14. Of course, the Chiefs made just half of their charities, while the Red Lions missed just three freebies.
• The big number was still rebounding, as the Lions finished with a 54 to 25 edge, 14 to 7 on the offensive glass.

The Other Names :

• Why didn't Leo Isaac field in Gerald Lapuz?
• Reserve center Ralph Salcedo did the most damage for Arellano, playing 34 minutes and tallying 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block and a steal. 
• Garvo Lanete was on fire in this game, scoring 16 points in 18 minutes, including 11 in a brutal third quarter stretch that saw him hit all three of his triples.

NCAA S87: JRU vs UPHSD

History Lesson:
Perpetual Help finally notched win number one in sports movie like fashion, surviving three overtime periods and fouled out players, getting relief from the bench in the form of a comebacking Jeorge Allen to beat the Heavy Bombers 79-77. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• At 6-9, the JRU Heavy Bombers are in a three-team tie for fourth place with Lyceum and Mapua. More than though, they'd surely like to get revenge for their upset loss. 
• Once again the cellar-dwellers, the 3-12 host school Perpetual Help Altas will settle once again for playing spoiler, looking for a repeat performance against the team that gave them their first win of the season.

JRU Stat to Watch : After some awful three-point shooting that includes a 1 for 12 performance in this game, the Heavy Bombers managed to hit seven each in their last two back to back games. That's the sort of floor spacing they could use on a more consistent basis as they battle for a Final Four spot.
JRU Player to Watch : John Lopez turned in a decent performance, 14 points and 11 rebounds in the first game, but those seem small considering he played 46 minutes. Lopez was also responsible for a team-high nine turnovers in the game. Now that he's no longer the focal point of their offense, Lopez might produce better results under less pressure.

UPHSD Stat to Watch : It took the Altas three overtimes in the first round to notch 79 points, but they've averaged 75 in their last three games, none of which went beyond regulation. Part of the reason why is because Perpetual's been taking and making more triples, from 8 of 22 in 55 minutes, to 8.33 of 27. Considering how JRU's been piling on the offense as well, compared to how they were in the first round, they might need those triples to keep in step.
UPHSD Player to Watch : The Altas leaned on their best scorer, Jett Vidal, to carry them in overtime, where he scored 9 of his season-high 21 points. Vidal was 5 for 12 from beyond the arc in that game, but 0 for 6 from the two-point territory, something that's become almost the norm for him. In his last four games, the former PCU Dolphin made just a single two-pointer after 13 attempts, but is 14/40 from downtown.


PREDICTION: JRU Heavy Bombers

One Day Later: LPU vs EAC, JRU vs CSB

LPU 77 - EAC 73
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : With Arwin Azores stuck in a hospital, Mark Francisco got the nod to start, and the unheralded forward made the most of the opportunity, scoring 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting, to go with 18 rebounds and three blocks. Francisco is barely 6'3" in shoes, but he sure stood tall (*groan*) in this game. 

The Numbers :

• Pirates head coach Bonnie Tan said that he decided to run in this game given their lack of players. Given their height disadvantage versus almost all the other teams (save for perhaps, CSB and Perpetual Help), I'm surprised they never thought of doing this earlier. Lyceum finished with season-highs in fastbreak points (25) and turnover points (26) as a result. 
• Lyceum finished with just a single three-pointer for the second straight game, going 1 of 13 from beyond the arc. This is from the team that has hit the most triples in a game this season (12) and the only squad aside from Perpetual with multiple double-digit three-pointer games. 
• EAC topped their previously set season-high for assists by getting one more dime than the 22 they tallied in the season opener. The x-factor? Shooter Jan Jamon somehow wound up with a career-high eight dimes. His previous high was four versus San Beda in their round two blowout.
• In the last 3:36 of the game, LPU went on a decisive 16-5 run to come out on top. They had lacked that ability to put away teams over their four-game losing streak.
• Joshua Torralba returned from a groin injury that kept him out of three games, but he was far from effective, scoring just four points on 2 of 10 shooting, though he also added two rebounds and three assists.

The Other Names :

• Claude Cubo scored a career-high 29 points on 12 of 19 shooting, to go with a 5 of 6 stint at the freethrow line, nine rebounds and a block. 
• Jolas Paguia also had a productive outing, with 10 points in 27 minutes, two triples, seven boards, two assists, a steal and a whopping four blocks. 
• Shane Ko was steady as usual for the Pirates, scoring 11 on 5 of 8 shooting, but more importantly contributing five rebounds and a team-high five assists for Lyceum.

JRU 78 - CSB 63
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : I've never understood why JRU head coach Vergel Meneses messes around with John Montemayor and Ralph Monserat when he has Jeckster Apinan sitting on his bench. Well Apinan continues to put up some impressive sixth-man stats, leading all scorers in this match with 17 points (7/10 shooting), while also being the only player on both sides to get double-digit rebounds, with 10, five on the offensive end.

The Numbers :

• While the JRU pounce-on-turnover-and-score sequences were oftentimes more impressive looking and packed more punch, a peek at the stats actually shows that not only did both sides commit 22 turnovers, but CSB actually edged forward in the turnover points category by a point, 24-23.
• Where JRU actually made in-roads was in transition, usually via outlet pass to a streaking Heavy Bomber for an easy lay-in. In that regard, JRU had the advantage, scoring 15 fast break points to eight by CSB.
• St. Benilde went with a zone the entire game, feeling that they could not match-up with the JRU bigs. But aside from the aforementioned turnover and fast break points scenarios which allowed JRU to score before the zone was set up, the Heavy Bombers also dropped 7 of 21 triples. 
• Another side effect of the zone was in fact, the big men having their way against the St. Benilde bigs. JRU got a 40 to 23 rebounding advantage, 17 to 6 on the offensive glass. Apinan's 10 rebounds and John Lopez's nine boards were dominant, especially in contrast to the fact that CSB's best rebounder had just four boards, while big men Jan Tan, Tim McCoy, Ian Dela Paz and Alison Carlos combined for...seven rebounds all in all.
• This was the first time all season CSB gave up 50 percent shooting, as all of JRU's easy scoring trips helped bloat their percentages.

The Other Names :

• The departure of Lastimosa did give Jonathan Grey and Paolo Taha a bump in minutes, to 27 and 28, respectively, but the biggest beneficiary turned out to be the forgotten homegrown rookie Michael Pate. Pate had appeared in just six other games prior to his start in this encounter, scoring a grand total of 10 points, but he was able to exceed that in just 22 minutes today, scoring 13 on 4 of 6 shooting.
• John Lopez also padded the stat sheet, aside from the aforementioned nine boards. The big man finished with nine points, three assists and two steals, also showing up his CSB counterparts.

NCAA Picking Record: 52-19-1

NCAA S87: CSB vs JRU

History Lesson:
The Blazers leaned on the late-game heroics of Carlo Lastimosa to win a hard-fought game, as last season's rookie of the year drove hard down the lane and scored over John Villarias to put his squad up 78-77. With just five seconds left on the clock and the length of the court to traverse, JRU did not have enough time to counter, falling after leading throughout the game's three quarters.  Free throws were the key to this game, as Benilde tallied 52 attempts compared to just a measly 11 for JRU. (Recap here)


What's at Stake:

• With the Blazers at 5-8 and the Heavy Bombers at 5-9, both these teams have a clear shot at overtaking the Mapua Cardinals, who absorbed a loss to San Sebastian, and now find themselves at 6-7. A win here puts either team that much closer to the fourth seed, while a loss puts the defeated in a position where they will have to sweep their remaining games in the vague hopes of forcing a playoff for the final playoff berth.

CSB Stat to Watch : The Blazers were the second best team at getting to the line in round one, attempting 30.22 free throws a game (Letran led the league with 32.11 tries). They've dropped to just 27.5 looks at the line in round two and have dropped to fourth, behind the Knights, Pirates and Stags. With Carlo Lastimosa leaving the team, they lose a large chunk of their perimeter scoring, so it's possible that you'll see Jonathan Grey and Paolo Taha compensate by attacking the rim.
CSB Player to Watch : With Mark Romero and Carlo Lastimosa both gone, CSB loses the two players that played the most minutes for them. That means someone like Jonathan Grey serves to gain from the sudden abundance of playing time. Grey currently averages 12 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 21.5 minutes, but giving him 30 minutes sees his production shoot up to 16.74 points, 6.56 rebounds, 3.35 assists and 1.53 steals if he remains consistent.

JRU Stat to Watch : Versus the Red Lions, the Heavy Bombers were able to fully realize their inside-out attack, making a season-high seven triples on 36.84 percent shooting, their second-best mark from downtown. If they can pull off a similar feat, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them win three in a row.
JRU Player to Watch : John Lopez was not bothered by the many big men of San Beda, scoring 17 points in the game, the first time he's hit double-digit scoring in their last five games. That came about because he also spent more time on the floor, notching just a single foul, the first time that happened all season. The first time they played Benilde, Lopez fouled out after just 15 minutes of play. That can't happen if they want to split the season series.

Prediction: JRU Heavy Bombers

One Day Later: UPHSD vs SSCR, SBC vs JRU

SSCR 77 - UPHSD 76
Recap - - - Preview

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
Recap - - - Preview

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

NCAA S87: SBC vs JRU

History Lesson:
In his second game back from a groin injury, Nate Matute nailed back to back triples that gave the Heavy Bombers a 60-59 lead, which they later grew to 62-60 on a John Villarias basket. Unfortunately, things stopped there for JRU, as the Red Lions drew five points off a flagrant foul whistled on Ronnel Carampil who was a bit too zealous trying to stop a fastbreak play by Rome Dela Rosa. JRU would go on to score just seven more points, as San Beda finally put the clamps down and owned this game, 77-69, as sloppy late-game execution did them in.  (Recap here)

SBC Stat to Watch : The first time they played, JRU held the Red Lions to a season-low five fastbreak points, negating the primary strategy of San Beda. Though the defending champs were still able to score and win the game, head coach Frankie Lim has made it clear that he wants his squad to get out in transition. In the second round, the Red Lions are averaging 11.67 fastbreak points, but the coaching staff no doubt wants that number somewhere near the 16.5 first round average San Beda began with.
SBC Player to Watch : Garvo Lanete bounced back from scoring just nine points versus Perpetual Help by dropping 21 against EAC in their succeeding game, shooting 71 percent from the field. The Red Lions are no doubt hoping the strong, consistent performances keeps up, as he was a virtual no-show late in the fourth quarter against rivals San Sebastian. 

JRU Stat to Watch : The Heavy Bombers were able to pull together a 79-69 win over the Arellano Chiefs despite turning the ball over 27 times in the 40 minutes, as the Chiefs scored just 20 turnover points. When they first played San Beda, JRU committed 21 errors and gave up 19 turnover points to San Beda. But if the Red Lions get their running game going, this is just going to add fuel to that fire and blow up in the faces of the Heavy Bombers.
JRU Player to Watch : Rookie John Villarias has taken over the top scoring position of JRU from John Lopez, norming 10.6 points. The long, athletic, do-it-all player has averages of 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists, and scored 14 in round one versus these guys, but it will be his defense on the San Beda shooters that will affect the box score more than his own production.

Prediction: SBC Red Lions

UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings: Week 9 of 2011

The unified UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings throws everything into a blender, hits the button, and ducks as it first mashes up, and then sorts out all 18 teams of both leagues. Among other factors, the panel of one takes into consideration: the quality of opponents played in the past week, how the team fared against those opponents, whether or not a team is on a roll, be it an uphill or downhill, and other factors like injuries or internal disarray.

In the second to the last Power Rankings for 2011 (it's hard to do them four teams in the UAAP are ON VACATION), we see just one remaining undefeated squad take the top spot, and some minor jostling around as the NCAA teams can see the halfway point of the second round from over here. We spend some time talking about the offseason already with the booted UAAP teams, as the mid-section of the NCAA starts to settle as teams drop out of the race for the fourth seed, one by one.

One Day Later: AU vs JRU, EAC vs UPHSD

JRU 79 - AU 69
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : I've always felt like Jeckster Apinan has been underused this season, so it's good to see him cut loose especially in a game like this. Apinan stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting, 10 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, two blocks, and just a single turnover. If he can keep this up, Apinan ought to see more minutes down the final stretch of the season.

AU Positives :

• Andrian Celada led his team with 19 points on 8 of 16 shooting, including a nice dunk in transition in the first quarter, when he exploded for 10 markers.
• Instead of falling to JRU's press, it was the Bombers who found themselves committing a ton of turnovers, 27 to be precise, allowing Arellano to exploit those mistakes to the tune of 25 points, more than a third of their production today. It must be noted though that a large chunk of those errors happened near the end of the game when things were safely out of reahc..

AU Negatives :

•  The Chiefs got to the line nine more times than JRU, 25 to 16, but converted just 16 charities. All those misses could have put Arellano in a different position, especially when they threatened early in the final period. 

JRU Positives :

• The Bombers got scoring from multiple sources, as five players finished with at least 10 points. That's the sort of balanced scoring they missed, as previous wins usually boiled down to a playe or two catching fire.
• JRU was simply on fire, finishing with a 58 percent clip from the field. Arellano on the other hand, was held to just 43 percent shooting, resulting in a 37-23 advantage by the Bombers on the boards.

JRU Negatives :

• JRU's point guards were terrible, with starter Alex Almario turning it over seven times, while reserve Philip Paniamogan gave it up half the time in his 10 minute stint. The only floor general who took care of the ball, Romnick Mendoza, played just six sminutes.

EAC 77 - UPHSD 71
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Franz Chiong went from starting point guard during the summer to after thought in the rotation once the NCAA proper began. Based on this game though, Chiong might just take that starting spot back, leading the Generals with 19 points on 6 of 12 shooting.

EAC Positives :

• Perseverance in the face of adversity saw the Generals keep calm when the Altas sliced their lead to just three points late in the final period. Without the benefit of a timeout, Milan Vargas attracted the Perpetual Help defenders, leaving Russell Yaya wide open at the baseline for a drop pass and an easy layup, to punctuate the win for EAC.
• Jolas Paguia flashed his amazing skillset once again with a 14-11 double-double, making four triples, and blocking two shots. 
• 58 rebounds is a season-high for this team, after getting 49 versus Lyceum in round one. Sure, Paguia hauled down 11 boards, but more importantly, the guards did their part as well, as Jan Jamon had the most with 12, while Milan Vargas added another 11.

EAC Negatives :

•  After Jett Vidal missed a triple with the score at 73-65 with a little over a minute left, Harold Arboleda grabbed the miss and got fouled, making both free throws with 1:08 remaining.  Scottie Thompson stole the inbounds and got an and one, making it 73-69 as he missed the charity. And had George Allen not pushed off, thus getting a whistle and giving possession to the Generals, Perpetual Help could have cut the lead down even further, maybe even getting the lead.

UPHSD Positives :

• The Altas got blown out in round one by this team, 71-58. Losing by just single digits is a big improvement, sort of. 

UPHSD Negatives :

• While the Altas committed only 10 turnovers, to the 19 of the Generals, Perpetual Help could only score two more turnover points, 14 to 12, despite having nine more opportunities. 
• Perpetual Help left a lot of points on the table, making just 16 of 32 free throws, the same number of conversions that EAC had on 24 attempts. The Altas also kept throwing up triples, looking for a quick way to regain the lead, especially in the third period, finishing 5 for 25 from beyond the arc, led by Jett Vidal's 3 of 13 stat. 
• After getting eight transition points in the first half, the Altas scored just five fastbreak points in the remaining three periods.

NCAA Picking Record: 49-16-1 

NCAA S87: AU vs JRU

History Lesson:
Alex Almario came up slightly short at the end of regulation. Nailing a triple with 21.1 seconds left, the JRU floor general gave his squad a 70-68 lead. Vergel Zulueta could not tie the game on the other side, and so the Arellano Chiefs were forced to foul Almario again. He could not seal the game though, getting just a split at the line. Then with time running down, Gerald Lapuz was able to force an extra five minutes, banking in a triple at the buzzer, and also stealing the momentum of the game, as Rocky Acidre and Prince Caperal were able to carry the probationary team to the victory, 79-75.  (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• With the Chiefs at 4-9 and the Bombers at 3-9, it's highly unlikely that either will still make the Final Four, barring any disastrous collapses by the teams on top. With that said, this becomes a battle for pride, as both squads try to regain their form from seasons past.

AU Stat to Watch : The Chiefs chose this game to shorten their rotation to just eight players, an extremely risky situation, given the pressing defense of JRU and the overtime situation. As a result, it gave the Chiefs the worst bench scoring average, just 17.77 points a game. They've taken steps to remedy that though, expanding their rotation once again to include guys like Mark Doligon and Ronnel Del Rosario, and when head coach Leo Isaac was in the US, his assistant Junjie Ablan was able to incorporate Chris Okpe into the mix. We'll see if the additional support will increase AU's chances in this game.
AU Player to Watch : Okpe had played spot minutes in the three games he was fielded in, prior to the second round Benilde game, but he delivered in the 15 minutes, scoring just two points, but hauling down five rebounds and blocking five shots. He could be a nice match-up for JRU's centers like John Montemayor and Jeckster Apinan.

JRU Stat to Watch : The Bombers for whatever reason, have struggled to score in the second round, scoring just 60 points on average, as they possess the worst three-point game and are abysmal at the free throw line. With Arellano possessing multiple gunners, led by Andrian Celada, who can go off at anytime, if the JRU defense can't hold, their offense may not be enough to get them back in the game.
JRU Player to Watch : After averaging 12.33 points in 28.17 minutes in the first six games, Ronnel Carampil has suddenly been stapled to the bench, norming just 14 minutes in the back six games, including playing a mere five minutes in their loss to San Sebastian. He's also gone scoreless twice in that stretch and hasn't put up more than six points, let alone double-figures.

Prediction: Arellano Chiefs