inboundpass.com - Covering Philippine college basketball / UAAP, NCAA, PCC

I thought I was in the Twilight Zone.  In the first half, National University was playing like they had a 7-2 record and La Salle was playing like they had a 2-7 record.  However, apologies to UE, UST, FEU and most especially Ateneo because La Salle was able to regain its composure and won the game 79 – 67.

The Bulldogs started strong and looked very impressive as they dominated the Green Archers early.  Going up 9-0, La Salle had a hard time scoring their first basket of the game.   NU’s defense kept forcing La Salle to early turnovers.
The Green and White crowd was stunned and I am quite sure that the fans of other UAAP schools who were watching the game, were hoping that the Bulldogs could maintain what they had started.  The standings would have been greatly affected with an NU victory.

The 2nd quarter was a continuation of the first.   La Salle looked confused and out of sync.  It seemed like the one week layoff had taken its toll.  Coach Franz Pumaren tried out different combinations which just didn’t work.
Midway through the 2nd canto, La Salle made a run and brought the lead down to 5 from a high of 13.  The Bulldogs however, wouldn’t back down and they ended the first half with an 11 point lead.

I can imagine how Coach Franz berated his team during the break. In the first half, the offense was horrible and the defense was flimsy and if La Salle wanted to come back they had to play better on both ends of the floor.
When the Green Archers came back after the halftime break, they looked different.  They had a sense of urgency in their face.  It didn’t take them long too erase the 11 point NU halftime lead.  Casio, LA Revilla, Barua, Maeirhofer, Villanueva, Malabes, Mangahas and even Ferdinand came out smoking.

With Revilla on the floor, Casio was able to break free and score crucial baskets.   La Salle can now surely be assured that there will be a point guard for the future with LA Revilla.

Also playing quality minutes today was Ferdinand.  Many were wondering why he has been relegated to the far end of the bench.  Today he showed what he is capable of doing, even marking his performance with a monster dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.

I have to talk about the officiating again.  It seems to be getting worse as each playing day goes by.  A blind man with one leg could do a better job than the referees of the UAAP are doing.

In one play, Maierhofer blocked a shot that was clearly on the way up.   The referee right under the play did not blow his whistle.  It was the referee who was furthest away from the play who called it goal tending.   When I saw my colleague Kim Lesaca during the halftime break, we just looked at each other with total disbelief.

The horrible officiating did not benefit either team but this is not the point.  If the Commissioner Almighty, who was sitting courtside, thinks that his presence will make the referees call the games better, than he must be hallucinating.

In the 2nd game, UE solidified its 4th place standing by routing UP.

Tags: Bulldogs, Green-Archers, La-Salle, NU, Petron, UAAP

Related posts

• San Beda, Ateneo open PCC Sweet 16 Round (33)
• UAAP All-Stars bag 2008 Bantay Bata title (53)
• Letran, USJ-R reach Sweet 16 Round (53)
• Alas wants to face the Red Lions in the Sweet 16 round (18)
• Jaguars, Knights debuted in the PCC Zonals with a Win (17)

Posted in The Green Mind