Photo: NCAA Philippines.MANILA — It was an abysmal night from the foul line for Colegio de San Juan de Letran as it absorbed another loss to rival San Beda University, but Knights head coach Allen Ricardo said their free throw woes were just one of several concerns, with bigger issues surfacing in the loss.
“Mabigat yung sa free throws talaga namin, kasi we had the game. Pero yung maturity, sa end game, nawala,” Ricardo told ABS-CBN News, as Letran shot 11-of-27 from the 15-foot stripe in their 74-65 overtime loss to San Beda on Monday.
READ: Torculas comes up clutch as San Beda reasserts mastery of Letran
Among those who missed the most was Letran guard Titing Manalili, with the star sophomore only making one of his seven shots from the 15-foot stripe in his return from his right wrist injury.
Whether it was Manalili's wrist problems or the spinners used by San Beda's cheering squad to distract the Knights, the main issue for Ricardo is his players' lack of poise down the stretch.
“May mga sitwasyon kanina, na part dapat ng maturity niya,” said Ricardo, who lamented how Manalili could have decided to make plays for himself when he had better looks rather than continuing to set up his teammates. “Yung desisyon niya, dapat sa kanya na yun.”
In addition, the third-year mentor also pointed out their lack of awareness, especially on defense.
“We were up three, so ‘di bale nang maka-shoot ng two points, ‘wag lang three,” said Ricardo, as San Beda forward Aldous Torculas sent the game to OT with a three-pointer. “Pero pag bigay kay Torculas, nag sag off kami. That’s the story.”
But while the Knights’ mishaps were exposed, Ricardo instead looked at them as a silver lining, noting that those were much-needed eye-openers at this point of their campaign.
“At least, we gauged kung nasaan na kami. It happened for a reason, and at least, this early, we learned that we should really play tough defense without fouling,” said Ricardo, whose squad has now lost two straight close matches after opening the year with three consecutive wins.
For Ricardo, this is an opportunity for Letran to correct its mistakes and also set the course straight as they anticipate tougher challenges moving forward.
“I told the team that we need to build more character, lalo na sa dulo,” he stressed. “Mahaba pa naman ‘to. Pero when you feel pressured, at pagod ka na, out of focus ka na, so kailangan ko mapaintindi ko yun sa kanila, to always have presence of mind.”