Green Archers unsuccessful in title-retention bid

    Posted by GREENARCHERS.PH

The Green Archers’ quest for a back-to-back championship ended after the Ateneo Blue Eagles outpayed the De La Salle Green Archers, 62-51 in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 71 Men’s Basketball Finals at the Araneta Coliseum.
 
The Green Archers almost caught up with the Blue Eagles in the third quarter after being buried in the half by a 15 point lead. But just when the Archers were closing in, a muzzle was placed on the team’s main offensive weapons: JV Casio and Rico Maierhofer.
 
Maierhofer was thrown out of the ballgame after getting two controversial technical fouls. Midway in the third quarter, Maierhofer was called for a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct for allegedly making the dirty finger. It was his 2nd for the game, the first being called early in the first quarter for taunting. The Puerta Galera native finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block.
 
The scoring cudgel was thus left on the shoulders of JV Casio. Casio was instrumental in slashing the Ateneo lead to 3, 50-47 at the end of the third quarter, but had to sit out the remaining minute of the 3rd after incurring his 4th personal foul.
 
Unfortunately, just when his points are needed, JV was called for an offensive foul and left the playing court prematurely. The DLSU Team captain scored a team-high of 18 points, collared 5 rebounds and dished out 2 assists in his final game in the UAAP.
 
True enough, the absence of Casio and Maierhofer, combined with the defense of the Blue Eagles, spelled disaster for the defending champions. After exploding with 21 points in the third as against their rivals’ 9 points, the Green Archers were limited to a mere 4 point-production in the final quarter.
 
Although the Archers shot better from the 3-point territory with a 31.25 clip, their overall field goal shooting percentage of 27.94 is way below the Eagles’ 46.67% mark. The Archers were also called for more fouls 29-13.   
 
It is the Blue Eagles’ 4th UAAP basketball championship in 32 years of existence in the UAAP. Their last title was won in 2002.
 
The Archers, who settled for the runner up honors, their 8th overall, was gunning for their 8th basketball title since joining the league in 1986. 
 
PHOTOS:

Awarding : http://greenarchersph.multiply.com/photos/album/23/UAAP_SEASON_71_SPECIAL_AWARDS
Game: http://greenarchersph.multiply.com/photos/album/26/SEPT_26_VS_ADMU
Post Game Dinner: http://greenarchersph.multiply.com/photos/album/30/Post_gameTeam_Dinner

THE SCORES:
 
ADMU 62 – Tiu 16, Baclao 8, Nkemakolam 8, Al-Hussaini 7, Baldos 6, Buenafe 5, Reyes 5, Salamat 3, Escueta 2, Austria 2
 
DLSU 51 – Casio 18, Walsham 8, Maierhofer 7, Revilla 5, Mangahas 3, Bagatsing 3, Atkins 3, Ferdinand 2, Malabes 2, Barua 0, Villanueva 0
 
Quarter Scoring: 16-10; 41-26; 50-47; 62-51

The View from the Armchair: Finals Game 1

    Posted by Nel

The Green Archers failed to get a running start and lost to the Blue Eagles, 61-69 last Sunday in the first game of the UAAP championship playoffs. After matching Ateneo for most of the first half, the Archers allowed Ateneo to grab the initiative at the start of the 2nd half, which Blue Eagles used to build a double digit lead that the Archers could not surmount in time. Ateneo center Rabeh Al-Hussaini was the biggest (literally!) thorn in the side of the Archers, as he singlehandedly scored almost half of Ateneo's points with 31 on an assortment of one-on-one drives, putbacks, and medium range jumpers.

The first half defense was good and forced numerous Ateneo turnovers, except for the defensive lapse at the end of the 2nd quarter which allowed Ateneo to build its largest lead of the game (7 points) at halftime. In the second half, Ateneo managed to score enough points to hold off the repeated rallies of the Archers.

Ateneo obviously prepared for the standard Archer sets to free up shooters on the perimeter, particularly at the corners, so most of the long shots were around the top of the key. JV had to fight for his shots. Rico blocked several times, tried to take his man off the dribble but was stopped, and committed 5 turnovers. Looks like the Ateneo defensive plan on JV was to bump him whenever he went baseline, and he lost the ball on what the refs must have called 'incidental' contact.

How we lost

Looking at the scoresheets, it's clear that most of the scoring damage was done by Rabeh Al-Hussaini, supported by Jai Reyes and Ryan Buenafe. These 3 players scored 55 out of Ateneo's 69 points. How did they get their points? Rabeh frequently went one-on-one against Maui and Ferdinand, backing them up or faking a shot than taking a couple of dribbles before laying in a point blank shot. When he was well defended, Rabeh would pop a medium range jumper that usually found the mark. When the Archers' interior defense doubled on a penetrator, the kick out passes would find Reyes or Buenafe, who connected on their perimeter shots. The Blue Eagles have obviously trained hard to take advantage of the double team, and their kick out plays are almost automatic. The Archer defense will have to force Rabeh out of the paint and make him beat us as a jump shooter.

Extensive scouting of our defense has allowed the Ateneo guards to recognize our zone defense, and they have set patterns to find the gaps through dribble penetrations and quick cuts. When we go man-to-man, they isolate players like Rabeh and Buenafe, and when the secondary defense cheats and swings over to show a double team, they execute cuts from the weak side or foul line, or set up screens for their outside shooters.

The Ateneo defense, on the other hand, is very familiar with our staggered screens for our shooters, and frequently veer away from the blockers towards the expected pass reception area. We were able to take advantage of this preparation by scoring on some decoy and pick-and-roll plays, but these weren't run too often. Our guards could and did penetrate, but either their shots didn't fall or their passes to open teammates under the goal were fumbled away. The Ateneo players were obviously under instructions to play physical under the goal, and any Archer penetrators were given hard bumps to throw them off their stride. JV lost the ball to the endline a couple of times because of this tactic.

With the outside set plays not working because of the low shooting percentage, our players had to resort to drives against the well-established interior defense of Ateneo, and Baclao managed to block 7 attempts. Although Rico struggled against the tight defensive net thrown at him, he still managed 17 points and 16 rebounds. However, he should be more prudent when attempting drives from the perimeter, because the secondary Ateneo defense is sure to be ready for him by the time he's taken off. Perhaps he should practice the short floaters or hooks a la Cardona instead of trying to take it all the way with a layup.

After the Archers managed to take a 3 point lead behind JV's individual brilliance, Ateneo uncorked a 10-0 burst to retake the lead for good and ended the 2nd quarter with a 7point lead. This margin helped build their confidence, and their 3rd quarter opening salvo behind Al-Hussaini set the tone for the remainder of the game. All the Archers could do was play catch up, and although they did threaten several times, the shooting woes of the Archer shooters prevented them from coming closer tha 6 points the rest of the way.

What must the Archers do?

Start strong come tipoff - the Archers must dictate the pace, take the early lead, and force Ateneo to play catch up. This will affect their substitution patterns and make them react instead of dictating the pace. Hold the line and treat each defensive play as if it will be the game winner. If Ateneo gets an early lead or is able to stay close, their confidence might build up and it may be difficult to shake them later in the game. The solid start is critical, because Ateneo plays well when they're in the lead. Their ability to surmount a sizeable deficit has not been really tested this season. There's no better tme to try it than on Thursday.

Shake the confidence of the Blue Eagles - they need to take the Blue Eagles out of their comfort zone. They're very strong when they play within the game plan of Black. The coaches will need to figure out how to disrupt the rhythm of Ateneo, take them into unfamiliar territory, keep them off balance. it will be very difficult to faze them if we allow them to execute their standard game patterns. During last year's final four playoffs against Ateneo, the Archers showed different looks on defense, and the Blue Eagles could not effectively run their plays because they could not be sure what defensive setup they would encounter. Uncertainty is a great weapon against confidence.

Focus for 40 minutes, no lapses of concentration - The Archers cannot afford any lapses similar to what happened at the end of the 2nd quarter that resulted in a wide open Reyes triple. This is a game of runs, and the Archers should not allow Ateneo to build up any momentum. They should also play within the system and go back to basics on offense. Of particular mention is the tendency of the forwards to attempt to push the ball up by themselves when they get a defensive rebound. We turned over the ball several times because the ball wasn't in the hands of our designated ball handlers. The Archers should also resist the temptation to freelance. In several instances, the ball would find a free Archer on the perimeter early in the shot clock, and instead of following the patterns, the Archer would hoist a long shot without any rebounders in position or penetrate and dish to an unprepared teammate. The long misses were turned into fastbreaks by Ateneo. Focusing on the game at hand also includes not falling prey to the mind games of the Eagles, because we can expect them to try the utmost to close it out on Thursday to avoid a winner-take-all on Sunday.

Team defense - the traditional strength of the Archers is their defense, and their ability to change the play patterns of the opponent with different looks. This was so successful last year during the playoffs, but was not too evident in game 1 except in the first half where they forced several turnovers. In the 2nd half, they allowed Ateneo to stay within their comfort levels, and it's difficult to win when Ateneo's playing their game. In particular, the inside defense must prevent easy shots or one-on-one plays by the blue bigs. Also watch out for the isolation plays for Buenafe where he dribbles and dishes off under or double pumps his shot. If I were the coach (which I'm not), I'd overplay at the perimeter to prevent penetrations. Let them beat us from the long court.

Play within the system - The Archers should know when to take shots, and when to go isolation. Rico must stop trying to take the last shot at the end of the quarter. JV is the go-to guy on the team, set him up instead of allowing him to create by himself. And our big men should be alert whenever an Archer gets through the perimeter defense - our bigs would end up bobbling the ball or being called for travelling because they were unprepared for the pass.

Play like there's no tomorrow - Because there won't be any tomorrow if we lose. The crown is ours until someone takes it away. We're not going to surrender the title without a fight, and the Green Archers are at  their most dangerous when their backs are against the wall. This is the culmination of all the preparation since the beginning of the year. Six other schools have fallen by the wayside, and the are only 2 games before we repeat. Give it 101% like we know you can. Franz is the master in these situations - he's done it before.

Look to the stands for strength and support - To the Archers: if you doubt our support, just look at our stands. We're with you all the way, and we won't let you down. We'll cheer like there's no tomorrow, and we will not be out-cheered on Thursday.

Come in early, get good seats, let it all hang out during the game, and be ready to do it all over again on Sunday.

AN1MO!

KEEP THE FAITH!

Green Archers lose Game 1

    Posted by Lesmes Solanoy

The vaunted defense was there but the offense was wanting. The leads delivered but the supporting cast was missing. Blue Eagles vital cogs Chris Tiu, Severino Baclao and Eric Salamat were stopped, but Rabah Al-Hussaini was simply unstoppable.

The Green Archers lost Game One of the Finals but all is not lost.

The defending champions failed to grab the go ahead victory in the series opener of the classic Ateneo-La Salle UAAP Championship at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum last Sunday with a 69-61 loss to the Blue Eagles.

While JV Casio finally got his groove against the Blue Eagles, scoring a team-high of 20 points, it was not enough to overpower the Rabah-Al Hussaini assault on the Green Archers. This season’s top contender for the Most Valuable Player award scored 31 big points, almost half of the Ateneo output.

The Green Archers controlled the rhythm of the ballgame in the first half, forcing the Blue Eagles, who were visibly shaken in the early part of the game, to commit 15 turnovers in the first half. The Archers even got their only taste of the lead late in the 2^nd quarter, 29-26, after JV completed a three-point play off a steal from Ateneo’s Yuri Escueta. But after that spectacular play, the Blue Eagles countered with a 10-0 run, capped by a quarter ending triple from Jai Reyes, to give a comfortable 36-29 lead for the Eagles.

It was an Al-Hussaini show thereafter. The Ateneo big man scored 10 points in the 3^rd quarter which ended with the Eagles on top by ten points. The Archers tried to recover but the shots weren’t going in. The defending champions tried to put up a final stand as they slashed the lead down to 6 with 46 seconds left in the game. But Chris Tiu simply dribbled the ball away.

Game 2 is set on Thursday, September 25, 4 pm at the Araneta Coliseum.

THE SCORES:

ADMU 69 – Al-Hussaini 31, Buenafe 12, Reyes 12, Baclao 5, Long 3, Tiu, 2, Baldos 2, Salamat 2, Austria 0, Escueta 0, Nikemakolam 0, Salva 0

DLSU 61 – Casio 20, Maierhofer 17, Barua 6, Malabes 6, Mangahas 5, Revilla 3, Ferdinand 2, Villanueva 2, Atkins 0, Bagatsing 0, Mendoza 0, Walsham 0

Quarter Scoring 15-12; 36-29; 55-45; 69-61

How Important is Game One?

    Posted by Lesmes Solanoy

(Writer's Note: All record references are from 1994, the year the UAAP began to adopt the Final Four format)

In a few hours, we will all be witness to the historic 3^rd UAAP finals confrontation between bitter rivals, the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the De La Salle Green Archers, since the Final Four format was implemented. The rivals are even in their record in the Finals against each other. The Green Archers won over the Blue Eagles in 2001, while the latter exacted revenge over the former in 2002. It will take only two victories to earn the championship, which makes the first win an-all important one. And by Sunday night, we will all know who has drawn first blood. But how important is it to take the first game? At this point, let me adopt the famous (or infamous) style of the controversial Philippine Star columnist Quinito Henson.

Since the Final Four format was implemented in the UAAP in 1994, the team who won Game 1 went on to win the championship, in 10 out of the 14 seasons (1994-2007). Interestingly, half of those ten times were courtesy of De La Salle (’98, ’00, ’01, ’04 and ’07).

Seven teams who won the first game of the Finals went on to sweep the series. 3 of which are the Green Archer squads (’98, ’00 and ’07). The others were the Dale-Singson-led UST squad in ’96, and the FEU Tamaraws in ’97 when they were bannered by Ronald Magtulis and in ’03 and ’05, during their Arwind Santos era.

The Green Archers Striking first

In their 12 previous finals appearances, the Green Archers got the first taste of the pie 7 times and in 5 of those 7 times, the famed Green Archers had the pie all for itself. It should be pointed out that the couple of times that DLSU lost the championship after winning Game 1 was against their erstwhile tormentor, the UST Growling Tigers—in ‘94 and ‘95, the first two years of the infamous “Bridesmaid Era” of the Green Archers. However in 1999, the tables were turned as the Green Archers copped the championship crown despite UST winning game 1 of the finals series.(This was the only time that La Salle won the UAAP basketball crown, despite losing Game 1)

Thus, it would appear that post “Bridesmaid Era”, that is after 1997, La Salle always wins the UAAP top plum, when it wins game 1. Will this record continue or will this be broken? We'll know by next week.

How about the Ateneo?

Prior to this season, the Ateneo Blue Eagles have been in the finals of the UAAP, 3 times and in those 3 times, they won Game 1 twice (in ‘02 and ‘06). It was in ’02 that they won the championship at the expense of the Green Archers, and as stated, they won the first game of the series in that season. However, the story was different in ’06, the year DLSU was suspended. After winning Game 1, the Blue Eagles suffered a heartbreaking championship loss against the younger UST squad.

But when their opponent wins game 1, the Blue Eagles seemed to get intimidated and gives up the crown. This happened in 2001—and yes, it was against the Green Archers.

Game One and the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry.

In the two times ADMU and DLSU met in a UAAP Championship, both series went to the full extent. But more telling is that, whichever team wins game 1, wins the series. The Ren-Ren Ritualo-led La Salle squad won game 1 in 2001 with a 74-68 thumping of the Blue Eagles, while the Enrico Villanueva-led Blue Eagle squad, won game 1 in 2002 with a close 72-20 win.

So going back to the question, how important is it to win game One? All I can say is that it is a must-win for DLSU.

The View From the Armchair: The Finals

    Posted by Nel

We're where we wanted to be, the finals, against our greatest rival, Ateneo. The most anticipated matchup in collegiate basketball will unfold on Sunday in the sold-out Araneta Coliseum. Nothing in collegiate or amateur basketball in the Philippines comes close to this event.

How the Archers got here

The season started out with analysts predicting a scrum among five teams which were expected to contend for the final 4: La Salle, Ateneo, UE, FEU, and UST. Adamson was considered as a dark horse capable of pulling some surprises (and they did!), while nothing much was expected from UP and NU.

The Green Archers' campaign in the eliminations was rocky and fraught with ups-and-downs, ending with a 10-4 record. The Archers swept UP, Adamson, NU, and UST, split their games with UE and FEU, and lost twice to Ateneo. The Archers were plagued by an assortment of injuries, resulting in a less than full strength lineup throughout the eliminations. Along the way, just when he was beginning to show what he's capable of, we lost Marko to the same ACL injury that sidelined him last year. Simon was also sidelined for a few games because of that terrible whiplash injury against UE in the first round. JV played sick in one game, while James and Rico limped through some games with sprained ankles. LA sat out a game due to a strained neck.

Coach Franz had to split his time between coaching La Salle and the national youth team, and was out for 2 games as a result. In his absence, Coach Jack steered the Archers to 2 wins. Franz returned in time for the 2nd round game against Ateneo but the team was unable to pull off a win against the Blue Eagles. During this stretch, Coach Jack's father passed away. Our condolences, Coach Jack.

The Archers' game up to this point has not been as consistent as some supporters would like. The Archers were not able to flash the dreaded pressure defense for much of the tournament, and had to rely on their offensive prowess to defeat their opponents. Few games were won by big margins, reflecting the improvement in the quality of the other teams.

On the other hand, the Archers managed to pull off close wins in crunch time despite some uncharacteristic miscues in the waning seconds. The victories over UST were nail biters, with a total winning margin of 3 for those 2 games. The last game against FEU was a pulsating come-from-behind win which was decided only in the last 15 seconds.

With the departure of Ty, Cholo, Brian, OJ, and Kish, the Archers lost much of the veteran composure and smarts. Holdovers JV, Rico, James, Peejay, JWalsh, Simon, Bader, Ferdinand, Rejan were joined by rookies LA, Maui, Hyram, Joshua, Jovet, and Manoj. The backcourt, long conceded to be the Archers' strength, was affected by the graduation of Ty and Cholo, with only JV and sophomore Simon returning from last year's core. Coach Franz conceded early in the tournament that this line up was among the weakest he had ever coached, but this team still managed to get to the finals.

Up next - the Blue Eagles for all the marbles

The Blue Eagles are the strongest team on paper, and proved it by dropping only one game throughout the season. They totally wiped out UE's aspirations with a dominant 70-50 victory over the hapless Warriors last Sunday. On the way to the finals, Ateneo defeated the Archers twice in games that the Archers were not able to showcase their best game. Some attribute the losses due to the improved Ateneo defense as well as the Archers' inability to hit their free throws. Whatever the reason, even Coach Franz has admitted that the Green Archers are the underdogs in this 3-game series.

What the numbers say in the 2 games against Ateneo

Offensively, Ateneo has the edge. In the 2 games so far, Ateneo has averaged 72 points versus the Archers' 65, has a better percentage from the field: 2pt fg: 48% vs 42%, overall: 44% va 36%. It's only from the 3point area that the Archers' shooting is better: 36% vs 14%. However, the Blue Eagles can shoot from outside, with Tiu, Reyes, Salamat, and even Buenafe and Baclao; in their playoff game against UE they hit 6/14. Free throw shooting (75%) is a strength of Ateneo, so it's not a good idea to send them to the stripe.

Rebounding is in favor of Ateneo: 41-37, although the Archers pulled down more offensive rebounds against Ateneo with 13.5 against the Blue Eagles' 8. When the Archers miss, the tall frontline of Ateneo tends to get the caroms. In the 2 games, Ateneo hauled down 33 defensive boards against our 23.

The Archers set up their teammates more, and this translated to an average of 13 against Ateneo's 10 in those 2 games. Although Salamat is the league leader in steals, the Archers were more active in this area with an average of 6.5 against Ateneo's 2.5 in the 2 games we played against them.

The Archers also took care of the ball more, turning the ball over only 11.5 times against Ateneo's 16.5. Interior defense is Ateneo's forte, with the Ateneo bigs getting 7 block per game against the Archers' 3.

Rico has done relatively well against Ateneo, tallying 16 points in each of the 2 games, averaging 9 rebounds a game, and not turning the ball over at all. Expect Baclao to try to be Rico's shadow throughout the game. JV was tightly marked by a number of Ateneo guards, particularly his former SBC teammate Escueta, and struggled for 5 points in the 2nd round game after going for 19 in the first round. Despite the tight guarding, JV accounted for 3 assists in each game. Simon and Peejay emerged from sub-par games of 2 points each in the first round with 9 and 8 points respectively in the rematch. Simon played his role of playmaker to the hilt against Ateneo, dishing off an average of 4.5 assists a game. Bader recovered from a scoreless first game with 7 points in the second, while James suffered a shooting slump and collected only 4 points in the second game after a 13point first round performance.

In both games, Ateneo used the 3rd quarter to build up a lead that they were able to maintain until the end. They outscored the Archers 21-14 in round 1, and 18-13 in the second game. The Archers tried to finish strong, but in both games couldn't turn it around.

The Archers likewise have a tendency to start out slow in the first and third quarters, frequently falling behind but also showing the tendency to pour it on towards the end of a quarter. The slow starts may help build up the opponents' confidence in their ability to compete with the Archers, and can contribute to closer games. The Archers will have to start strong and take the lead early to prevent having to play catch up.

What the numbers don't say - the intangibles

The Blue Eagles have been playing with a lot of confidence, and it showed in their playoff game with UE. They were prepared for UE's pressure defense (which Coach Black claims is very similar to ours), although they had 22 errors in that game. The ball movement and passing was crisp, they executed their play patterns well, and were able to disrupt UE's offensive rhythm enough to limit them to 50 points. Black likewise claims to know Franz's game pretty well because of their long association in the PBA.

Ateneo's defense was the best in the league in the eliminations, limiting opponents to 62.3 ppg. They do this with their half court defense, pressuring the guards once they pass the halfcourt line, and fighting picks and screens to stay with their men. Their interior defense is anchored on their big men, Al Hussaini, Baldos, and Baclao, who make it difficult for dribble penetrators to score by themselves. Baclao is among the leaders in shot blocks, and has the footwork to stay with Rico inside.The classic Pumaren screens and double screens have been well studied by the other coaches, and have devised ways to stay with JV, who they view as the most dangerous Archer scorer.

The Ateneo offense features the much-improved Al Hussaini as the post-up inside threat, with his hooks and short jumpers as his main weapons. Whenever the Archer defense double teams Al Hussaini, the standard Ateneo plan is for him to kick the ball back out to the perimeter, quickly swing the ball to a waiting weak side shooter on the perimeter (Tiu, Reyes, Salamat), or to a cutter. Occasionally they call Buenafe's number to do a one-on-one either through isolation or dribble penetration. They also rely on their guards to get past their perimeter defenders into the lane where they pass off to a waiting teammate once the Archer 2nd line defender swings over. They also have the high post screens to free up their shooters Tiu and Reyes. Black has been using a big guard to complement the pg, and in recent games Austria has been filling this role, with Buenafe and Long as backup. To break the press, the Ateneo power forward sometimes takes the inbound, and since he's usually taller than the Archer players who execute the press, can see enough to pass the ball to the wingmen in the front court.

Black has stated that his familiarity with Franz will allow him to prepare for the finals. The reverse is also equally true, and it will be up to Franz and his lieutenants to come up with countermeasures to disrupt the Ateneo game plans. We've seen the best of the Ateneo game already, and it's unlikely that Black will deviate too much from what has been working so far. On the other hand, the Archer game has had its ups and downs, but the Archers have shown that they can gut out a win in close games.

Franz has shown a knack for taking the opponent out of its game, and this was most evident last year where Franz steered the Archers to playoff wins over opponents which had swept the Archers in the elimination rounds. In our last game against FEU, he again showed that the Archers can make the opponent play the game the Archers want - it wasn't pretty, but they hung tough and pulled it off.

At the end of the day, we can cite all the stats, but these are just possible indicators of how the game might go. It'll be how the coaches prepared specifically for this series, how well the players execute the game plan, and above all, how much they want it. We can only cheer them on.

KEEP THE FAITH!

AN1MO!

Tale of the Tape: Eagles vs. Archers

    Posted by Lesmes Solanoy

As they say, all records are thrown away and all stats are disregarded, whenever the Ateneo Blue Eagles and this year's defending champions, the De La Salle Green Archers play against each other. Winning is a matter of school pride. Numbers are forgotten.

Nonetheless, the stats are still important for the teams' respective tacticians to plot the right offensive attack and to design the proper defensive stance. Six-time UAAP Champion coach Franz Pumaren and his 1989 Philippine Basketball Association Grandslam Coach, Norman Black, are both cerebral coaches and will definitely rely on the figures to devise the strategy for Sunday. Is outrebounding the key to victory? The stats will provide a clue. Will the bench play a significant role in claiming the win? Again, the stats may tell. We present to you the comparative statistics of the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the De La Salle Green Archers for the entire elimination round of UAAP Season 71 (taken from the Season 71 Senior Elimination Round Statistical Summary):

We also view the head-on stats of the two teams, based on their meetings last July 6 (1st round) and September 6 (2nd round). Did the team step up or slow down against their rivals? Let's see.

Elimination Round Stats

* League-best

Head on Head Stats