National University’s J-Jay Alejandro was the only bright spot in the Bulldogs’ offense in the final frame against the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, scoring 11 of their 15 points in the final frame — all of which came short, however, as NU suffered their second straight setback, 83-90.
The team captain could not deny that FEU had outplayed them and were able to dictate the pace of the game.
“Yung nilaro namin, eh yung tempo nila,” admitted the defeated team captain who created 23 points, five rebounds, four assists.
Aside from not being able to execute NU’s fast-paced game, the Bulldogs’ bench also went begging for points, with just 33 points compared to FEU’s 54.
“Di ko masabi na bad start pero siguro nasa amin din eh,” said the Leyte native, who is averaging 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.
“Yung start naman namin okay pero pagdating sa bench dun kami natalo. Tsaka kung titignan yung bench points, ang laki ng lamang nila.”
Coach Jamike Jarin also mentioned that having their offense anchored solely on Alejandro alone is becoming a major concern.
Just three days ago, Alejandro scored nine of his 25 points in the final frame against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons. And the result was the same.
“That is a concern.
“Like what I said, this team is not talented enough to win games, so it has to be a collective team effort[. W]e need to step up offensively and defensively,” the NU mentor admitted.
The Bulldogs have a challenge up ahead, as they meet undefeated Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles on September 30 and the rising University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on October 8. The 22-year-old need all the scoring support he can get to take off some of the offensive burden from his shoulders.
“Alam naman nila coach at mga kalaban na ako yung main guy so siguro [kailangan ko ng suporta],” the graduating guard said.
“Pero yun nga sabi ni Coach Jamike, kailangan we keep on learning kasi come the second round, ‘di na yan puwede mangyari.”
By: Danine Cruz
