University of the Philippines head coach Bo Perasol received a rude welcome in his coaching debut with the cagers from Diliman Sunday afternoon.
The Soaring Falcons finished the first game of UAAP Season 79 with 104 points, the most points allowed in a UAAP game since July 17, 2009, while shooting at mind-boggling 66 percent clip, the highest shooting clip since 2003. Moreover, the UP backcourt allowed rookie Jerrick Ahanmisi to drop 28 points on them on an excellent 10-of-11 shooting from the field.
It was one of the finest shooting games in UAAP history.
“I told the guys that if we’re going to play that way, for me we brought in our good game, but if we come out against a team against Adamson who’s also playing a good game, I don’t think we can win,” UP head coach Bo Perasol shared after the game.
“Our best game against Adamson’s best game, that’s a no contest, with what they showed.”
However, Adamson’s wire-to-wire win does not reflect how the Fighting Maroons fought back in the final frame.
Led by Paul Desiderio, the Maroons fought back from 19 points down, cutting the lead to just six markers with four minutes remaining in the game. However, the Falcons were simply feeling it, turning the game into a rout once more.
“Obviously marami pa kaming daming ma-adjust defensively,” said Perasol, who had steered Mighty Sports to the 2016 Jones Cup. “We were able to make stops but in the end kinapos parin.”
The fight the Maroons showed was a silver lining for a program that has been struggling for the better part of the decade.
“Oo naman masaya. I was telling them the score was not a reflection of how we played,” the former Ateneo Blue Eagle mentor added.
“We didn’t expect them to shoot that high but as far as our effort is concerned, I’m good with that. “
Looking forward, the UP alumnus shared that he plans to tweak his offense to complement student-athletes like Desiderio and Jett Manuel.
“I think we can find more sources of offense. Ang importante kasi, medyo dehado kami sa depensa because of our size,” he closed. “If we can’t shoot, I don’t think there’s much to compete with. “
