Who will win Game 3?
National University takes on Far Eastern University in winner takes all Game 3 of the 77th season of UAAP men’s basketball on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After a dominating Game 2 performance by winning, 62-47, over the Tamaraws, the Bulldogs will reset both their offense and defense to try to steal the title in Game 3.
NU coach Eric Altamirano solidly changed their strategy in Game 2 by pushing the ball quicker and by maintaining an energetic defense from the start to finish. The Bulldogs flamed out some of the potential rallies from FEU to keep the game in control.
“We felt that in our last game we didn’t do a good job defensively. We allowed them to score in the 70s and every time they score in the 70s they always win,” head coach Eric Altamirano explained.
“So we really focused on going back to our fundamentals and going back to our discipline in terms of our defense.”
The Bulldogs have their Robin and Batman, Gelo Alolino and Alfred Aroga, tandem to make things easier in Game 3. Alolino finished 12 points and seven rebounds, including the back-to-back three-pointers that stopped FEU rally, 56-44. Aroga also added seven points and 13 rebounds but most importantly his presence intimidating the Tamaraws drive through the basket was the key.
Furthermore, expect Troy Rosario to bring his “A” game like the way he scored and rebounded (19 and 14) in Game 2. If Rosario gets double-double in Game 3, then NU has a bigger chance of winning.
FEU is not bothered at all by what transpired in Game 2. FEU was limited to 23 percent shooting in the field and only scoring 47 points, the lowest this year.
Though FEU tried to bounce back in Game 2, the defense of the Bulldogs keeps on disturbing them. Mike Tolomia had 15 points and five rebounds while Mac Belo added 17 points, not much help from the other Tamaraws.
The FEU Tamaraws have to bring forth their intensity in Game 3 to capture the title. Surely, coach Nash Racela knows to make adjustments to put his team in having a chance to win at the end.
NU vs FEU Game 3 of the UAAP Finals is on October 15 at 3:30 PM ET. NU vs FEU is televised on ABS-CBN.
Who will end up winning the UAAP Finals?