Defending NCAA champion Colegio de San Juan de Letran ended the first round with a 6-3 record.
It was good enough to tie rival San Beda University at fourth in the standings. But it was not up to par with what many expected the loaded Knights lineup to finish after the first nine games of the season.
Fifth-year Knights head coach Bonnie Tan emphasized to his team that they needed to play with a sense of urgency heading into the final nine games of the elimination round.
“We’re expecting lahat ng teams sa second round, lahat naghahabol ng panalo. Talagang when they play parang wala ng bukas eh. So ‘yun ang in-anticipate namin – lalo na sa lahat di lang sa Perpetual.” said Tan.
“So, we’re expecting talaga na wala ng baby-baby ngayon, second round na. Di na kailangan mag-adjust, adjust. Kumbaga go hard na, finish strong, and ‘yun ‘yung mindset na in-impart sa mga players namin.”
Against University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, Letran played with vigor from start to finish.
The Knights got the better of the rebounding department against the blue-collar Altas, 54-45. During their first round encounter that saw the Knights escape with a 70-67 win, the two squads were knotted in that battle at 44-all.
The likes of Brent Paraiso and Louie Sangalang delivered as well with the former finishing with 16 points on 50-percent shooting beyond the arc, to go with seven boards, and three assists, while the latter registering a double-double with 10 points, 10 boards, an assist, a steal, and a block.
And the Knights took a comfortable 74-59 win to rise to a game above San Beda.
“Chinallenge namin ‘yung players sa rebounding department kasi being the number one rebounding team ‘yung Perps,” shared Tan.
“Sabi namin pagka-nanalo kami sa rebounds, malaki na ‘yung chance na manalo kami sa game. So, we focused on our rebounding department, which na-deliver ng bigs namin.”
For Tan, he hopes that they sustain this mindset until the end — an ending they hope would see them hoist the wooden trophy for the third straight season.
“Sana ma-sustain namin again ‘yung winning runs namin. And itong second round ito na ‘yung pukpukan eh; ito na ‘yung positioning sa standings,” he expressed.
“Sabi ko sa mga players ang hirap mag-champion talagang very brittle na team. ‘Yung nababasag, nahahabol agad ‘yung huge lead natin, sayang nawawala.”
