University of Perpetual Help System DALTA has already secured a twice-to-beat advantage in the NCAA Season 101 men's basketball tournament, but the ALTAs are still hell-bent on locking up that top spot.
But the Las Piñas crew has to overcome its slump in order to do that.
Perpetual won eight of its first nine games, but has now lost its last three matches after bowing to upset-hungry San Sebastian College-Recoletos, defending champion Mapua University, and dangerous Arellano University.
Patrick Sleat, though, isn't losing hope that the ALTAs can still secure that top spot before heading to the quarterfinals.
"We’re having a slump right now. Pero sa tingin ko, personally, kailangan namin ‘to e para pagdating namin sa playoffs, alam na namin," Sleat said on Sunday.
"Ngayon, may target na kami sa likod, everybody wants to beat us since ang ganda ng first round at second round namin sa elimination."
(We’re having a slump right now. But in my view, personally, we need this so when we get to the playoffs, we're already used to it... Right now, we have a target on our back, everybody wants to beat us since we had a really good first round and second round in the eliminations.)
Perpetual's most recent loss came at the hands of the Chiefs on Sunday, when the ALTAs' comeback attempt came just too short.
Perpetual crawled back from 18 points down, unleashing an 11-2 run late in the fourth including a clutch LA Casinillo corner triple that pulled them within one, 69-70, in the final 25 seconds.
But the ALTAs failed to capitalize on Arellano's four straight missed free throws with John Abis and Mark Gojo Cruz missing potential game-winners.
T-Mc Ongotan starred in a narrow 70-69 win, dropping 22 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one block to help Arellano seize its first back-to-back wins of the season.
"'Yung shot ni Abis wala naman kaming problema doon. ‘Yung last shot, it was an open look kaso hindi na-shoot," Sleat added.
"Hindi na sana umabot sa gano’n kung nu’ng una nag-engage na kami sa laro, kung nu’ng una palang ay ginawa na namin ‘yung ginawa namin nu’ng second half kaso ayun nga."
(That shot of Abis, we have no problem with that. The last shot, it was an open look but it just didn't fall... It shouldn't have come down to that if we from the start we were more engaged in the game, if from the start we were already doing what we did in the second half, but that's what happened.)
Sleat and the ALTAs, though, are positive they can get over the hump as they head into a much-needed one-week break before slugging it out against the unpredictable Lyceum of the Philippines University on Sunday, November 23.
"‘Yun ‘yung game na kailangan talaga naming mag-engage kasi may chance pa na makuha sa amin ‘yung number one spot. Ayaw naman namin ‘yun. We wanna maintain that number one spot."
(That the game where we really need to be engaged because we have a chance to get the number one spot. We wouldn't want to lose that. We wanna maintain that number one spot.)
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
