La Salle has been playing the best basketball they’ve ever played in almost 14 years, the most intriguing question at this point is who will be the first team to beat them this season?
Will it be the Adamson Falcons? A team the Green Archers easily dispatched in the first round to the score of 91-75? Things could probably be different this time and perhaps they will find a way to play much better than their previous encounter.
The Falcons are coming off a convincing bounce-back win over UST to close the first round, a few days after losing to previously winless UE. It’s been a roller-coaster ride for them this season but nevertheless, being in a position to contend for a semis berth is already a big improvement from previous years.
The Green Archers will be facing a team that loves to shoot those three balls. They need to step up guarding the perimeter better as compared to their last game where they gave Ateneo so many open looks. The first round matchup between these two squads saw a big disparity in inside points with La Salle outscoring the Falcons in the paint 46-18. Expect them to do the same given the teams enormous advantage in the post.
The team will once again look to maximise the strength of their depth. Bench scoring last time was 36-21. The Falcons rely heavily on their big three of Ahanmisi, Sarr and Manalang who are averaging around 30 minutes a ballgame.
Adamson is on the right track in their rebuilding and will mostly likely be a serious contender a few years from now. As long as the Archers play their usual game especially on the defensive end, they will come out victorious in this one.