Quick Fire: Paul Desiderio saves the UP Fighting Maroons from disaster versus feisty UST Growling Tigers
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| (Photo Credit: Josh Albelda, ABS-CBN Sports) |
Final Score: UP Fighting Maroons def. UST Growling Tigers 74-73
Notable Players:
Paul Desiderio, UP (17 points, 9 rebounds): I'll make this short and sweet. If it weren't for his shot at the end of the game, the Fighting Maroons would be in a crisis right now losing versus a sub-par UST team. He's notable, no doubt.
Noah Webb, UP (7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks): If it weren't for the crazy hustle he showed, UP would have likely lost this one. The energy, aggressiveness, and versatility he showed on the defensive end is going to be very valuable for the Fighting Maroons in the long run
Marvin Lee, UST (20 points, 3 assists, 3 steals): He played some amazing, efficient basketball for UST. He showed being the go-to-guy doesn't always mean having to handle the rock at a high rate. He moved very well without the ball, picking his spots and only shooting when a good look showed itself. Great work.
Steve Akomo, UST (15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks): Steve looked like an absolute monster versus the tight UP defense. Credit to his teammates with how they were able to set him up for easy looks, but Steve also did a terrific job of protecting the rim switching off pick and rolls. Papi Sarr may have just met his match.
Jordan Sta. Ana, UST (11 points, 6 assists, 2 steals): Acted as the main initiator of the offense of UST through his aggressive drives to the rim. He's going to do more of that to ease the load off Marvin Lee and Steve Akomo. Not only does he attack the rim for buckets, but he's also able to dish it off for easy buckets.
Noah Webb, UP (7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks): If it weren't for the crazy hustle he showed, UP would have likely lost this one. The energy, aggressiveness, and versatility he showed on the defensive end is going to be very valuable for the Fighting Maroons in the long run
Marvin Lee, UST (20 points, 3 assists, 3 steals): He played some amazing, efficient basketball for UST. He showed being the go-to-guy doesn't always mean having to handle the rock at a high rate. He moved very well without the ball, picking his spots and only shooting when a good look showed itself. Great work.
Steve Akomo, UST (15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks): Steve looked like an absolute monster versus the tight UP defense. Credit to his teammates with how they were able to set him up for easy looks, but Steve also did a terrific job of protecting the rim switching off pick and rolls. Papi Sarr may have just met his match.
Jordan Sta. Ana, UST (11 points, 6 assists, 2 steals): Acted as the main initiator of the offense of UST through his aggressive drives to the rim. He's going to do more of that to ease the load off Marvin Lee and Steve Akomo. Not only does he attack the rim for buckets, but he's also able to dish it off for easy buckets.
Quick Analysis:
- I mentioned in my recap for UE-NU that most games for this UAAP season would be fast-paced, but sloppy. The game between the Growling Tigers and the Fighting Maroons was definitely sloppy, but for (somewhat) good reason. The defense both teams played against each other was terrific. In the eternal words of Zaza Pachulia, "Nothing easy! Nothing easy!" UP and UST guards aggressively trapped every time the other team would play pick and roll, while their respective rim protection was top-notch too.
- You have to credit the resiliency of UST in this game. In terms of sheer talent, they're beat versus a UP team filled with a number of blue-chip recruits. But UST made up for that by showing a ton of heart and smarts on both ends of the floor. Offensively, they rarely forced shots and made some terrific passes leading to open looks. Their off-ball movement was great too, just failing to knockdown shots. We've already talked about how well they did defensively. but to add, they made us of their length down low very well to really give the Fighting Maroons hell. They'll be a hell of a chore to deal with versus any team if they keep up this kind of aggressive play.
- Before we go to the chunk of the UP analysis, may I just say, more Gomez de Liano brothers please? Javi has shown some great things with the limited minutes he's been given. Solid defense, and offensively, his skills as a stretch forward are useful for a UP team in need of shooting. Juan? He's a star in the making with his terrific skillset offensively and propensity to rebound the ball as a guard. They're young, yes. But they have a ton of potential and talent now. Use it.
- If UP wants to be a legitimate Final Four contender, they can't have games like this again. Paul Desiderio's shot was cool, but if they had played better, they wouldn't have needed to scrape that hard for the win. UST's defense made things very hard for them, but at the same time, the UP offense did not do itself any favors either. There was very minimal off-ball movement from its players, and the decision making was questionable at times.
At the same time, they had a number of boneheaded plays that will piss off any coach. In one play, UP managed to swing the ball well towards Desiderio to the left corner for an open look. That's a great shot to take! Instead, Paul hesitated and drove only to miss terribly. Then, the UP possession before the Desiderio shot had them attempt a difficult reverse layup off a UST miss. They had a timeout to use to diagram a play for the last shot, but instead they forced the issue and were forced to foul.
This UP team has a lot of potential. The talent they have screams Final Four team. But the team has to play smarter in order to make everybody, not just one player, look better. The little details, like not panicking and taking smart shots is what makes Final Four teams what they are. UP needs to attain those in order to reach the level they desire to make.
- You have to credit the resiliency of UST in this game. In terms of sheer talent, they're beat versus a UP team filled with a number of blue-chip recruits. But UST made up for that by showing a ton of heart and smarts on both ends of the floor. Offensively, they rarely forced shots and made some terrific passes leading to open looks. Their off-ball movement was great too, just failing to knockdown shots. We've already talked about how well they did defensively. but to add, they made us of their length down low very well to really give the Fighting Maroons hell. They'll be a hell of a chore to deal with versus any team if they keep up this kind of aggressive play.
- Before we go to the chunk of the UP analysis, may I just say, more Gomez de Liano brothers please? Javi has shown some great things with the limited minutes he's been given. Solid defense, and offensively, his skills as a stretch forward are useful for a UP team in need of shooting. Juan? He's a star in the making with his terrific skillset offensively and propensity to rebound the ball as a guard. They're young, yes. But they have a ton of potential and talent now. Use it.
- If UP wants to be a legitimate Final Four contender, they can't have games like this again. Paul Desiderio's shot was cool, but if they had played better, they wouldn't have needed to scrape that hard for the win. UST's defense made things very hard for them, but at the same time, the UP offense did not do itself any favors either. There was very minimal off-ball movement from its players, and the decision making was questionable at times.
At the same time, they had a number of boneheaded plays that will piss off any coach. In one play, UP managed to swing the ball well towards Desiderio to the left corner for an open look. That's a great shot to take! Instead, Paul hesitated and drove only to miss terribly. Then, the UP possession before the Desiderio shot had them attempt a difficult reverse layup off a UST miss. They had a timeout to use to diagram a play for the last shot, but instead they forced the issue and were forced to foul.
This UP team has a lot of potential. The talent they have screams Final Four team. But the team has to play smarter in order to make everybody, not just one player, look better. The little details, like not panicking and taking smart shots is what makes Final Four teams what they are. UP needs to attain those in order to reach the level they desire to make.
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