Published December 11, 2022 8:25pm
Updated December 11, 2022 8:25pm
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde head coach Charles Tiu is hoping that the Blazers can take a web page from De La Salle University’s playbook when the latter upset Tiu’s brother Chris and his Ateneo de Manila University workforce again in 2007.
Back in UAAP Season 70, the Green Archers fell to the Blue Eagles thrice of their 5 conferences that season, however received the 2 most vital video games en path to the title.
Ateneo defeated La Salle of their elimination spherical clashes however La Salle retaliated with a 70-69 win of their battle for the second seed. Ateneo then went on to win Game 1 of their semifinals assembly, the place La Salle was holding a twice-to-beat benefit.
La Salle, although, received the final recreation to arrange a finals assembly with high seed University of the East, which they defeated in two video games to take the crown.
And Tiu hopes the identical feat can encourage Benilde as they attempt to dethrone the powerhouse workforce that’s Colegio de San Juan de Letran within the NCAA Season 98.
“I even told them that I remember one year, 2007, Ateneo versus La Salle and syempre Ateneo ako no’n cheering for my brother. La Salle fans were always saying that two is better than three. La Salle beat Ateneo twice only but they won the championship that year,” Tiu recalled as Benilde equalized the collection towards the Knights on Sunday.
“So that’s my mantra for this team, they can beat us three times but it’s these last two games that matter.”
Benilde was 3-0 towards Letran previous to this recreation.
The Knights first eked out an 81-75 win over Benilde within the first spherical earlier than a 74-66 victory within the second spherical noticed Letran seize the highest spot momentarily. Letran then took a 1-0 finals collection benefit when the Knights drew an 81-75 in Game 1.
But the Blazers stated ‘not as we speak’ in Game 2, carving out a 76-71 triumph to degree the collection and drag the defending champions to a do-or-die Game Three subsequent Sunday.
And all of the Blazers can do now could be to imagine that they’ll repeat the feat La Salle did 15 years in the past.
“We just try to believe, really, that we can compete with this team. We talked about having to match their physicality, that we can’t let them bully us there. And I’m happy with the way they responded for most of this game,” Tiu stated.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
