Quick Fire: FEU Tamaraws showcases grit in win versus UP Fighting Maroons

(Photo Credit: Arvin Lim, ABS-CBN Sports)

FEU Tamaraws def. UP Fighting Maroons 78-59

Notable Players

Ron Dennison, FEU (16 points, 2/4 3FG, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, one shut down Paul Desiderio): Dennison was the man responsible in averting any UP run. Not only did he hit some big buckets down the stretch, but he played some terrific defense on Paul Desiderio, hounding him to a season low 9 points. Best two-way player in the league? No doubt.

Richard Escoto, FEU (12 points, 5/9 FG, +28): There's a reason why Escoto had the highest +/- number in the game; No one in UP could stop him because of how he dominated UP's forwards in the post. Dennison closed the deal, while Escoto was the one who stayed steady for FEU all throughout.

Ibrahim Ouattara, UP (17 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks): Ouattara was key in UP's UPrising *ba dum tss* during the third quarter, aggressively grabbing rebounds and attacking the rim versus FEU's small front line. He turned Barkley Ebona into #BBQChicken in the post, pretty much.

Juan Gomez de Liano, UP (16 points, 4 rebounds): It's a shame Juan GDL's best games have come in blowout losses, because he has looked terrific. He's a monster combo guard who can either kill you off the dribble or work off the ball for spot ups. If all else fails and UP doesn't make the Final Four this year, you have a Juan GDL-Bright Akuhetie pairing to have you excited, UP fans.

Quick Analysis

- UP did a great job of closing out passing lanes and the paint for penetration, thus disrupting FEU's dribble drive. That's a big reason why the pace was so slow, because of how UP forced the game to turn into a slug fest, something FEU isn't exactly accustomed to.

- Thus the masterful work of Olsen Racela. Instead of turning the game into a fast paced game so he could use his nuke in Arvin (who wasn't too good by the way), he embraced the slow pace and took advantage of Richard Escoto's work in the post. Either way, the slow pace allowed Escoto to kill UP's forwards down low, and UP was left scrambling defensively.

- This game showed just how versatile FEU is. They've finally embraced Coach Olsen's concept of not going dribble drive all the time with how they handled UP in the slow pace of the game. Their best offensive player Arvin struggled because of how DDO was closed down, but they used their other options to adjust. The result was a terrific performance on both ends of the floor. FEU should be good in the long run.

- We're then exposed to one of UP's flaws this year: the power forward position. Noah Webb and Javi GDL had difficulty handling Escoto down low, and in one instance, Webb nearly turned into #BBQChicken off an Arvin Tolentino crossover, spin move jumper. Webb and Javi are more of small ball forwards, thus the need for a fast pace. Coach Bo is then left with the question of whether he should play fast or not. 

- Despite the loss, UP has something good with Juan GDL taking over as Paul Desiderio was being hounded by Ron Dennison. This opens up the possibility of using a Juan GDL-Manzo-Desiderio back court with Paul roaming the court for open looks. Instead of going iso-Desiderio, use the gravity he has in order to make things easier for your guards. After all, Paul is pretty good off the ball. Use it to your advantage.