After falling short in their debut, the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas finally got in the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup win column with a 65-48 thrashing of the Mila’s Lechon Mighty Roasters on Tuesday.
The Perps dominated the match from start to finish, only allowing the neophyte D-League franchise to shoot 28.3 percent from the floor. Furthermore, they also forced their counterparts into 16 turnovers.
It was an excellent defensive showing from the NCAA squad. But for new head coach Frankie Lim, who had just booked his first-ever win as Perpetual’s mentor, he was still far from satisfied with what he had seen.
“We just tried to be decent on our defense. We’re still working on it,” said Lim. “Bago pa lang kami na nagsasama. It will take time before we become a good defensive team.
“All I ask is for our defense to be decent.”
On the positive side of things, what made Lim beam is the way the Altas have been learning to tone down during games, something that wasn’t there during their opener against the Che’Lu-San Sebastian Revellers, which they lost, 70-83.
“Little by little, they’re settling down.
“Kinakausap ko sila on more execution. I don’t care who scores, importante sa akin maka-score kami,” said the four-time NCAA champion coach.
The Las Piñas-based Altas will have fellow NCAA school Jose Rizal University as their next opponents next week. And for Lim, he sees it as a challenge for his squad, as it will serve as their measuring stick to gauge their progress.
“Big test para sa amin yun kasi makalaban sa NCAA. Lahat ng players nila walang hugot,” said the former San Beda Red Lions head coach.
“Big test sa amin yun kung nasaan na kami sa ginagawa namin.”
