LOSING for the first time doesn’t mean that the world is crumbling.
That’s clear for the University of the Philippines.
Falling for the first time in UAAP Season 87 to La Salle, 68-56, the Fighting Maroons incurred the first blemish to their record, as the decision stopped what had been a dominant showing for the maroon-and-green.
But more than the result, what coach Goldwin Monteverde magnified was the lessons that the Diliman side could pick up from the Finals rematch.
“Minsan kasi 'pag nananalo ka, hindi mo nakikita what needs to be improved on,” he said, as UP had been winning by a comfortable average margin of 14.5 points prior to the hotly-anticipated showdown.
And it was made clear in Monteverde’s eyes what were the chinks on State U’s armor: their poor starts in their last three games.
Though the Fighting Maroons were able to recover from a 31-9 hole against Adamson and pulled away from University of Santo Tomas in the second half, they could not do the same against the Green Archers.
Slow starts can't come UP again
And knowing just how motivated the field is to topple them, having these lethargic showings at tip-off should be a no-no, especially with games being much more crucial come the second round.
“We really need to work on that. The last two games were an example that we have to clean up our execution. It’s something that we need to work on,” Monteverde said.
Luckily, lead guard JD Cagulangan is returning after missing the last two games which should be good news for the Iskos as they play UST at 6 p.m. on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ: UP lead guard JD Cagulangan to be back in action for second round
On the flipside, the Growling Tigers would like to truly show that they have learned their lesson from their 81-70 setback last Oct. 2 where the Espana side completely lost grip of the game in the second half.
It's NU-Ateneo for second time in a week
Meanwhile, National University (2-5) is seeking back-to-back wins against the same foe in Ateneo (1-6) to kickstart its own second round campaign at 4 p.m.
Kenshin Padrones stepped up in that 78-68 victory last Saturday, a welcome addition for a Bulldogs side in dire need of support to usual suspects Jake Figueroa, Steve Nash Enriquez, and Jolo Manansala.
But the Blue Eagles are just as driven to redeem themselves, especially with Andrew Bongo shooting the lights out with five treys to help the cause led by Jared Bahay and Josh Lazaro.
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