La Salle head coach Aldin Ayo. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
La Salle head coach Aldin Ayo was livid over the Green Archers’ lackluster performance in the 69-64 victory over Adamson that sent them to Finals of the UAAP Season 79 seniors’ basketball tournament.
Ayo blasted his team for playing “complacent,” pointing out the glaring 3-to-26 assist-turnover ratio.
“Tyinaga kami, inutay-utay kami [They gave us a hard time],” said Ayo of Adamson’s pressure defense. “We were complacent even in passing the ball, we did not execute and even when we did, it was just for two to three sequences.”
READ: La Salle nips Adamson, advances to UAAP finals
With La Salle clinging on to a 67-64 lead with 2:21 left, the Falcons were left with several chances to tie the game. Fortunately for the Green Archers, Adamson’s multiple attempts from beyond the arc clanked off the ring.
What enraged Ayo most was how the Green Archers let the Falcons get the offensive rebounds to give themselves multiple second chances.
READ: No sweep as Ateneo deals La Salle first loss in UAAP
“We played terrible. I will not let that happen again,” said Ayo. “We just defeated them with a prayer, we really prayed hard. How many chances [did they get] in the closing? We’re big but we’re not able to box out, there were a lot of second-chance points. It was just given to us, we didn’t strive for it.”
“On our part, [the effort] was really lacking.”