UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help coach Aric del Rosario can take it when his Final-Four-seeking team loses to a team in the top half of the standings.
“Matalo na kami sa (mga teams sa) taas, huwag lang sa baba,” the multi-titled mentor said.
So when his Altas lost to bottom-half team Emilio Aguinaldo College, 71-73, last week, the veteran mentor expressed his anger by not talking to the whole team for a whole day.
“Hindi ko sila kinakausap at pinapansin,” Del Rosario admitted. “Kailangan iparamdam ang galit sa kanila at naramdaman nila yun."
The Altas made sure that did not happen again as they responded with an 89-58 thrashing of Arellano to strengthen their semifinal bid in the 88th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan on Thursday.
Only six players scored for the Altas, but their combined output proved enough for the squad to keep a firm hold on third place with their ninth win in 14 games.
Jet Vidal fired a game-high 24 points, Nicholas Omorogbe and Jeorge Allen added 18 points apiece, while Earl Thompson and Justine Alano contributed 14 and 12 points for the Altas, who shot 51 percent from the field.
Del Rosario rued his team’s defense against the Generals, but was satisfied this time as the Altas limited the Chiefs to just 36-percent shooting.
The Altas, who dealt the Chiefs their ninth loss in 14 games, also shared the ball well as they had 19 assists, 12 more than their Legarda-based opponents.
The scores:
UPHSD (89) – Vidal 24, Allen 18, Omorogbe 18, Thompson 14, Alano 12, Babayemi 3, Arboleda 0, Elopre 0, Paulino 0, Jolangcob 0, Cenita 0, Bitoy 0
AU (58) – Pinto 11, Zulueta 11, Forrrester 10, Acidre 9, Bangga 7, Hernandez 4, Cadavis 2, Salcedo 2, Caperal 2, Espiras 0, Lunas 0, Palma 0
Quarterscores: 17-15, 37-25, 64-41, 89-58
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