UAAP: FEU vs NU preview and live-scoring (round 2)

Game starts at 4pm. Page auto-refreshes every 30 seconds. First round meeting: The National University Bulldogs showed that they were a team to be reckoned with, when they came back from a halftime deficit to inflict the first loss on the previously undefeated Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 61-57, last August 2. Down by 10 at the 8:45 mark of the third quarter, bad fouls by the Tams and an aggressive mindset by the Bulldogs resulted in the host school getting to the line 14 times for 10 conversions, compared to a 0-of-2 clip by FEU. That sliced FEU's lead to a paltry point, headed into the game's last ten minutes. In the dying moments of the game, a Terrence Romeo jumper knotted things up at 57-all, 1:13 remaining on the clock, but that turned out to be the last score of FEU, as Bobby Ray Parks and Mark De Guzman teamed up to go 4-for-6 from the foul line down the stretch. FEU had a chance to put pressure on NU or even take the lead, but rookie Mac Belo missed two freebies at the 28 second mark, dooming them.   Key stats: This was a game won at the free throw line. NU managed to stay in the thick of things after the first half thanks to a 12-4 difference in foul shots attempted, a disparity that ballooned to 33-11 by the final buzzer. This was also a game won by star players. The one-two punch of Bobby Ray Parks and Emmanuel Mbe stepped up in the second half, combining for 20 points, 15 coming from Parks. The high-scoring backcourt of Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia meanwhile, had just half that, with Garcia finishing with a miserable 2-of-13 clip for five points all-in-all. Statistically, FEU is currently the hottest-shooting team, topping the charts in field goal percentage (42%), two-point percentage (46.9%) and three-point percentage (28.9%). The team, as a result, scores the most perimeter points of any team, 27.5 per game. The problem of course, is if they have a plan B, should they enter a cold stretch, which is what happened in their first round meeting with NU. NU on the other hand, is almost like the mirror image of FEU. They get their points inside the paint, and are second in the league in that stat with 34.2 per game. They also get 12 fast break points and 11.4 second chance points per game, while their outside shooting is pretty poor, to say the least (24.1 percent). FEU needs to: Avoid becoming a Terrence Romeo-dominated team by sharing the ball. Even if RR Garcia is offline again, other players like Cris Tolomia, Roger Pogoy, and especially Anthony Hargrove down low ought to get touches. The latter especially will keep the NU defense honest as he can draw some fouls down in the post. The Tams simply can't fall into the trap of just throwing up jump shots. They have to get to the line. The team will notably be missing their enforcer Arvie Bringas, which is a shame as he could have been another guy who can operate down low. It's now a must for Hargrove to avoid silly fouls, lest he get into foul trouble and allow NU's big men to run rampant. NU needs to: Avoid settling for three-pointers and instead actively try to force turnovers so that they can get out and run. Guys like Gelo Alolino, Robin Rono, Ajeet Singh and Jeoffrey Javillonar need to play standout defense against Garcia and Romeo too, or at the very least, challenge all the shots they'll inevitably throw up. The Bulldogs can certainly try to beat FEU at the foul line again, but it becomes a tad more difficult if Emmanuel Mbe is out again. Their veteran center missed their last game versus UE due to an injury suffered versus UST, and his understudy, Henri Betayene, is more of a defensive threat than a force on offense. FEU projected starting five: RR Garcia (14 points on 4/15 FG, 4/4 FT, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block vs ADMU), Anthony Hargrove, Terrence Romeo, Roger Pogoy, Mark Bringas NU projected starting five: Bobby Ray Parks (21 points on 5/10 FG, 10/11 FT, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal vs UE), Henri Betayene, Jeoffrey Javillonar, Denice Villamor, Gelo Alolino