UAAP: ADU vs DLSU preview and live-scoring (round 2)

Game starts at 4pm. Page auto-refreshes every 30 seconds. First round meeting: The De La Salle University Green Archers' defense came online late to hold the Adamson University Soaring Falcons without a score in the final two and a half minutes, as they bucked the early exit of LA Revilla and gutted out a 56-52 win, last August 12 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Revilla logged just 10 minutes due to an ankle sprain and the absence of their floor general clearly threw DLSU for a loop, as they trailed by two at the break, 32-30. An 11-3 run by the Archers after the break helped them right the ship, 41-36, 1:33 left in the third, but a triple to start the fourth period by Jericho Cruz knotted things anew at 43-all. Scores by DLSU big men Norbert Torres and Yutien Andrada were matched by Ryan Monteclaro and Roider Cabrera, but after the latter nailed a lay-up with 2:38 left that put his side up by three, 52-49, the Falcons simply couldn't find their range anymore. After Jericho Cruz was blocked on a drive, Jeron Teng went the other way to give his side a one-point lead, 53-52. Andrada struck anew to make it a three-point lead with 18 seconds left, and Jed Manguera sealed things with a steal that led to Teng charities. A split by the bluechip rookie made it a two-possession lead, though it didn't matter as Cabrera missed anew with two seconds left. Key stats: It was a bad shooting day for both teams, though one side fared slightly better than the other. DLSU went 2-of-11 from downtown and 6-of-18 from the stripe, but the likes of Jeron Teng and Norbert Torres were able to hit down low. The duo combined to go 12-of-20, boosting their shooting percentage to 40.7 percent from the field. Adamson the other hand went 4-of-25 from three-point territory, and though they shot more charities, they only converted on 20-of-30, a crucial factor considering the four-point difference between teams once the final buzzer sounded. Just as bad was the performance of their big men. Rodney Brondial and Eric Camson combined to go 3-of-14 from inside the arc, with the latter being hampered as well by foul trouble, resulting in him playing a mere 17 minutes. The Falcons have had problems all season closing out games, and this was one of those instances. DLSU shot poorly, 6-of-18 or 33 percent in the final period, but Adamson was worse at 4-of-17 in those same minutes. The big difference was outside shooting. Adamson heaved up 10 three-point tries despite trailing by no more than four points in the quarter. In the end, they made only two, both within the first four minutes. Finally, despite losing Revilla, the Archers played well with Thomas Torres and Almond Vosotros running the show late. In the fourth quarter they got five assists, versus just one by the Falcons. What's at stake: This is once again, a must-win game for the Archers, who are playing for their Final Four lives. A victory guarantees them at least a playoff for the fourth and final seed, regardless of what NU does in their rematch against FEU on Sunday. A loss on the other hand, means they'll need to cross their fingers and cheer for the Tamaraws to beat the Bulldogs in order to trigger a playoff. Otherwise, they're not making it in. Adamson on the other hand, is hoping to end their season on a positive note, and will continue to go to Jericho Cruz, who has positioned himself as their marquee player next season. In their past four games, the Rizal Technological University transferee is averaging 21 points on 46.27 percent shooting, 4.67 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. ADU needs to: Prepare to win an ugly game. They lit up the scoring boards against UE, but DLSU leads the league in several defensive categories, including field goal percentage allowed, two-point field goal percentage allowed, assists allowed, fast break points allowed, and second chance points allowed, which means scoring opportunities will be few and far between. The Falcons will need to look for high percentage shots, and that means Rodney Brondial and Eric Camson have to outplay their Archer counterparts in the post. DLSU needs to: Continue to win the battle of the boards. They currently norm the most rebounds at 48.2, 17.15 on the offensive end. They'll need those second chance opportunities because they're currently dead last when it comes to shooting inside the arc at just 39.3 percent, the only squad under 40 percent. If they can get a big lead early, that means they can chance working LA Revilla back into their rotation, as they'll need him if or when they enter the post-season. ADU (3-10) projected starting five: Jericho Cruz (21 points on 8/17 FG,  1/2 FT, 1 rebound, 8 assists, 1 steal vs UE), Rodney Brondial, Eric Camson, Jansen Rios, Ryan Monteclaro DLSU (8-5) projected starting five: Jeron Teng (10 points on 2/13 FG, 6/10 FT, 10 rebounds, 4 assists vs FEU), Yutien Andrada, Norbert Torres, Thomas Torres, Jed Manguera - AMD, GMA News