University of Santo Tomas shoots for a UAAP men’s championship sweep tomorrow expecting La Salle to put up a tighter perimeter defense.
And it’s Kevin Ferrer that La Salle will concentrate on marking after the lanky UST forward drained 20 points, 15 coming from a notable 5-of-8 clip from three-point range, during the Tigers’ heart-stopping 73-72 decision over the Green Archers in Game 1 last Wednesday.
“We have to get up a little bit on them (the outside shooters), make sure we get to challenge every shot they take from the perimeter,” said La Salle coach Juno Sauler.
The Tigers outscored the Archers, 45-14, from the outside, the last a Ferrer triple that gave UST breathing room, 73-69, going into the last 41 seconds and turned out to be the winning basket.
“I think it’s Ferrer who killed us,” said Sauler. “Jeric (Teng) shot 36 percent from the two-point area, it’s something I can live with. But the 62 percent from the three of Ferrer was the one that killed us.”
Game 2 of the best-of-three title series is set at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Ferrer has been on a roll since the Tigers’ huge semifinal upset of the top-seeded National University Bulldogs, where he averaged 16 points in two games aside from helping hold down NU star Ray Parks.
“He struggled with his shooting [early in the season],” said UST coach Pido Jarencio. “I told him to be consistent with what he’s doing now.”
Jarencio also credited the leadership of Teng in the Tigers’ late surge this year that moved UST within a win of becoming the first No. 4 team to capture the men’s basketball title.
Teng, who sat out almost half of the Tigers’ eliminations games due to a shoulder injury, gradually regained his shooting form on the way to a sterling Game 1 output of 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
“This group of players, they constantly talk,” said Jarencio. “Jeric holds the team together. He talks to them about their goals and what they want to achieve. He’s our leader.”
The Archers, though, aim to drag the series to a do-or-die contest by getting big man Arnold Van Opstal and Fil-Am rookie Jason Perkins back in the scoring mix, said Sauler.