Chongson admits miracle needed to get UE to Final 4 after loss to La Salle

UE active consultant Lawrence Chongson. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—University of the East consultant Lawrence Chongson was blunt with how he described his team’s 65-59 loss to De La Salle in the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball tournament.

The Red Warriors got outscored 23-13 in the fourth quarter and saw their Final Four hopes slowly crumble as they dropped to a 3-8 record for the seventh seed.

UE still has a mathematical chance of entering the Final Four but it will need to rely on the other teams to lose to barely crack the semifinals ladder.

“Before this game, we’re still hoping but now we’re 3-8 and it’ll take a miracle for us to get to the Final Four,” said Chongson in Filipino.

La Salle had a slim 47-46 rebounding advantage but had a distinct 17-13 edge under the offensive glass.

The Green Archers turned those extra possessions to 19 second-chance points and those buckets complemented their 10 fastbreak points.

For comparison, the Red Warriors had 11 second-chance points and only two fastbreak points.

“We gave in, obviously La Salle wanted it more,” said Chongson.

“We were the team who had the backs against the wall but La Salle seemed to want it more. Those guys were crashing the boards, we got beat on second chance points.”