Quick Fire: De La Salle Green Archers makes monster comeback to force do or die versus Ateneo Blue Eagles

(Photo Credit: Mico Ongkeko, SLAM Philippines)

De La Salle Green Archers def. Ateneo Blue Eagles 92-83

Notable Players:

Kib Montalbo (9 points, 5 assists and 3 steals) and Andrei Caracut (13 points, 3 rebounds), DLSU: These two were arguably the main reasons for La Salle's resurgence during the second half. Kib played some terrific defense, while Andrei was his usual steady self on offense. Most importantly, as cliche as it may be, they kept on fighting and didn't give up.

Ben Mbala (20 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 blocks) and Ricci Rivero (18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists), DLSU: They were on the verge of breaking down, but their captains (Kib and Prince) got them back on track to wreck havoc on Ateneo. Ben broke out of his slump and regained confidence, while Ricci ignored foul trouble to produce for La Salle.

Thirdy Ravena (20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists) and Aaron Black (15 points, 6/8 FG), Ateneo: The former Blue Eaglets tried their best to will Ateneo back into the game but it wasn't enough. At the very least we know these things: Number one, Thirdy Ravena the choker is a thing of the past. Number two, Aaron Black is starting to find his groove, and that only means good things for Ateneo's bench depth.

Quick Analysis:

- The biggest reason as to why La Salle managed to make its comeback was this: Ateneo played La Salle's game, which was a terrible idea. The game was fast all throughout (88.92 Pace), and Ateneo could not sustain its hot streak during the first quarter. To beat La Salle you cannot match them shot by shot. No team can. You have to take it stop by stop, and Ateneo forgot to do that.

- At the same time, Ateneo did a lot of unnecessary things when La Salle was making its run. They tried to fish for fouls, something that La Salle does, not Ateneo. Once again, Ateneo playing La Salle's game. Disaster.

- The fast pace of the game also allowed La Salle's Mayhem system to run, and the result was a lot of shots off turnovers (16 points off turnovers for La Salle, 14 turnovers for Ateneo during the pivotal second and third quarters) and a pace that favored the Green Archers. That's the thing with Mayhem: when the pace is fast, it doesn't matter whether a team is playing half court or full court basketball. They will pressure you to oblivion, and if you don't get to settle down, you're done for.

- Ateneo also played too much mismatch basketball, meaning attacking the defense whenever a mismatch was seen. Theoretically, this isn't wrong. But when you have Matt Nieto, Aaron Black and Thirdy Ravena going isolation after isolation versus Abu Tratter, Santi Santillan and Prince Rivero, you're likely not going to sustain that. This isn't a one on one game. It's a team game, and Ateneo built their lead off great movement and rhythm basketball. They failed to do just that to sustain their lead.

- La Salle may have won, but there is no clear favorite come Sunday. La Salle knows it can come back from big leads, while Ateneo knows it can build a big lead versus La Salle when in focus. We're in for a classic on Sunday. Buckle up. One last time.