University of the Philippines guard Jacob Bayla pointed to a sluggish start as the main reason the Fighting Maroons suffered their first loss of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament against the National University Bulldogs.
UP entered the game unbeaten but struggled from the opening quarter as NU built a commanding advantage. The Maroons were unable to fully recover despite making a late push in the fourth period.
“Slow start, I’d say. We didn’t really get our guys going. Especially defensively, they had a huge lead and a huge margin in the first quarter. So that kinda made it hard for us to come back in the second half,” Bayla said.
“And just bouncing back with this is what’s on my mind,” he added.
UP showed more urgency in the fourth quarter and gradually cut into NU’s lead, something Bayla attributed to a stronger effort from the team.
“We just wanted it more in the fourth quarter compared to the first. We started off slow, really slow in the first quarter,” Bayla said.
The UP guard credited his teammates for refusing to give up and helping reduce the deficit late in the contest.
“And I wish we started really good in the first quarter. But the guys in the fourth quarter, they did their job. Kudos to them for making the lead shorter,” he added.
With UP absorbing its first setback, Bayla said the Maroons will use their next practices to address the details that hurt them against NU.
“Just going to practice with an open mind. Just focusing more on the little things. Because those things cost us the game,” Bayla said.
The Fighting Maroons will attempt to bounce back against Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Sunday, October 4, at the Blue Eagles Gym. (Adrian Co)
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