LA Salle coach Derick Pumaren was just lost for words after his side's 74-57 loss to Ateneo, which was the team's first this UAAP Season 84.
Derrick Pumaren on loss to Ateneo
To him, the defeat is plain and simple: "We just gave up. That's the way I see it."
Frustration was evident on the face of the decorated mentor as the Blue Eagles pulled away in the second half with the Green Archers shooting themselves on the foot with their 31-percent field goal shooting.
"It's kind of frustrating with the way we played. We made lots of mistakes out there and we did not execute the things we're usually doing offensively," he said.
La Salle was far from the offensive juggernaut that it was prior to this game and part of that was the forgettable night that its playmakers Mark Nonoy and Evan Nelle had, with Ateneo's defenders led by Gian Mamuyac hounding them relentlessly whenever they had the leather.
Pumaren did not fail to notice this and urged the pair to be more disciplined through the pressure.
"We really didn’t execute well tonight. We were running away on what we should be doing. We didn’t run the offense pattern we should be running out there. It ended up na there’s a lot of forced shots," he said. "We had no discipline offensively, that’s why we lost ballgame and they really played good defense."
Nonoy shot 3-of-10 from the field for his 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Nelle was an atrocious minus-15 on the court despite his numbers of 10 points, two boards, and two dimes.
Fortunately, the Green Archers have a chance to atone for this loss when they play University of Santo Tomas on Tuesday.
Pumaren sure as heck is looking at that game as to how Nonoy, Nelle, and the rest of the team will respond after incurring this first L.
"The most important thing right now is how we bounce back on Tuesday. So we'll go back to the drawing board on tomorrow's practice and get ready for game on Tuesday," he said.
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