University of the East head coach Derrick Pumaren. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Lack of discipline proved to be University of the East’s downfall anew.
Against Ateneo last Wednesday, the Red Warriors once again failed to sustain their hot start, losing an early 23-9 lead and ultimately fell, 75-61.
“The players ran away from what we’re doing well. They insisted on doing what they want to do,” UE head coach Derrick Pumaren said.
READ: Ateneo pummels UE to end 2-game slide
“They thought that the game was over. I even warned them in first quarter that the game is far from over. We know Ateneo’s gonna come back and they just can’t run what they want to run. We want to stick to the system, to do what got us that lead, but for whatever reason, they simply ran away from what we’re doing.”
UE couldn’t capitalize on its 7-of-18 shooting from three as it turned the ball over 20 times and allowed Ateneo to control the boards (48-40), resulting to an 11-2 discrepancy in second chance points.
The loss kept UE at the cellar sporting a 2-9 record, a precarious position for a team seeking to end its seven-year Final Four absence.
READ: Ateneo finds another hero in point guard convert Mendoza
That fact isn’t lost on Pumaren, saying, “Everybody’s fighting for their life, and we are too. We’re right there, we’re on the brink of getting eliminated.”
What bothers the veteran mentor more is even if the Red Warriors managed to make a late run, their fate still depends on the other team’s luck.
“Even if we take care of things, it’s out of our hands. But we just have to take care of things and hope for the best. We’re not in control anymore. Yun ang sad news,” he said.
UE faces Adamson, the first team it beat in the first round, on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.