Naveen Ganglani
COMING UP SHORT. Dave Moralde and UP fall to 1-4 this season. Photo by Josh Albelda/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The UP Fighting Maroons dropped to 1-4 in UAAP Season 79 after losing to the FEU Tamaraws by two, 51-49, on Sunday, September 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. In the game, they had 28 attempts at the free throw line, but converted only 15.
The 13 misses could have made a difference in the final score, and UP head coach Bo Perasol admitted after the contest that his team should shoot better from the foul stripe moving forward. However, he refused to name it as the main reason why the Tamaraws came away with the win.
"Malaking bagay sana if we had made some of those, but in [the] game kasi hindi naman 'yun ang story talaga," said Perasol, who's in his first year coaching UP.
(It would have been big if we made some of those, but in the game, that wasn't really the story.)
"The story was na-shoot ba namin dapat 'yung steal namin on the fast break? Dapat ba hindi kami nag-foul kay Arong? Or ['yung] na shoot ni Arong over Jarrell?"
(The story was, should we have made a shot after the steal on the fast break? Was it wrong to foul Arong? Or was it Arong's shot over Jarrell?)
After falling behind by double digits in the third quarter of the low-scoring contest, UP rallied to tie the contest at 47 all. Big blocks by FEU big man Prince Orizu prevented the Maroons from taking the lead, and the loss was eventually sealed after Dave Moralde's potential buzzer-beater rimmed off.
"In a game, hindi naman (it's not) ideal most of the time, but you have to play through it. You have to grind it," Perasol said about UP's free throw shooting.
The Maroons' top scorer, Paul Desiderio, finished with 15 points but went 8-of-15 from the stripe.
"We need to improve those to have a better chance," said Perasol, "but in that game, hindi mo rin alam kasi if gano'n magiging (you don't know what will be the) situation if we made them. 'Cause if we made them, si FEU will make adjustments also."
UP will be back in action on Wednesday, September 28, when it takes on the 3-2 Ateneo Blue Eagles. – Rappler.com
