UE coach Pumaren expects Mbala to take on hot-shooting Pasaol

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

University of the East gunner Alvin Pasaol will be a marked man as La Salle tries to stretch its winning run against the resurgent Red Warriors on Wednesday, while Adamson seeks to get back on track in UAAP Season 80 at Mall of Asia Arena.

Pasaol exploded for a season-high 49 points the last time the two squads meet and UE coach Derrick Pumaren expects the Green Archers to pay extra attention on his prized forward when they collide at 2 p.m.

“I’m sure they will work on trying to stop Alvin (Pasaol),” said Pumaren, whose team has won three of its last four games, including a 73-64 triumph over University of the Philippines on Sunday.

“Probably they’re thinking that if they stop Alvin, they’ll stop UE. I’m sure there’s a lot of pride at stake because he got his record of 49. We’re expecting (Ben) Mbala to defend him.”

The Falcons hope to gain some separation from three other teams in the Final Four race as they clash with the winless University of Santo Tomas Tigers at 4 p.m.

With a 6-4 record, the Falcons are in solo third, but Far Eastern U, UP and National U are hot on in their heels just a game behind.
With a Final Four already out of reach, the Tigers are looking for a strong finish to the season.

Mbala has been largely credited for neutralizing the league’s best scorers, including Paul Desiderio of University of the Philippines. But while Pasaol’s explosion has sparked UE’s turnaround in the past three weeks, the Warriors have been getting solid contributions from across the squad to stay in contention in the Final Four race.

“Until there’s a fourth team that makes it, then we still have a shot,” said Pumaren. “We just have to stay positive with what’s going on. We just have to keep playing as one unit.”

The Archers have won back-to-back games to start the second round—against Final Four contenders Adamson and Far Eastern U.

With Mbala cooling off after a strong start to the season, Ricci Rivero and Santi Santillan stepped up to power the Archers past the Falcons, 80-74, over the weekend.