Ateneo vs FEU Game 2 : Plus & Minus 2

UAAP Season 74 Men’s Basketball Finals

Ateneo vs FEU Game 2  : Plus & Minus 2

How  did Ateneo win Game 2 (G2) of the Finals enroute to a rare 4-Peat? I tried to analyze want went wrong with FEU in game 1 in a previous post after they were blown out in the crucial third quarter. Now after seeing Ateneo blow out FEU again in G2 ,  I want to see what went wrong with them , again.

G2  game stats showed  interesting figures in terms of the following : field goal/FT shooting (2pt/3pt/FT) , rebounds, assists, turnovers.

	Ateneo	FEU
2 pt FG	26-53(49.06%)	24-76 (31.58%)
3 pt FG	4-13 (30.77%)	2-20 (10.00%)
FT	26-35 (74.29%)	19-21 (90.48%)
Rebounds	4-29/33	19-24/43
Assists	18	12
Steals	6	5
TOs	8	7
Blocks	4	1
Personal Fouls	19	24
Total Points	82	69

First , Ateneo, again, shot better in terms of 2pt, 3pt FG but FEU FT shooting was more impeccable this time at 90% !

Again, FEU had more attempts from the field but had less FTs!

Second, Ateneo, again, rebounded better defensively and , again,  FEU had more offensive  and total rebounds!

Third, in terms of assists, Ateneo  had a more fluid game and outplayed FEU in terms of sharing the ball and getting  it to the open man to score with an 18-12 advantage in assists!

Fourth, Ateneo had less TOs with 8  this game indicating they had greater control of the game compared to  G1 where they committed  17 mostly committed in the first half!  

Fifth, FEU was slapped more fouls again in G2 just like in G1.

What the stats mean? 

Ateneo  had a much better 2ptFG shooting in game  1(G1)  with 60% shooting compared to just 49%  shooting in G2 but this time shot 30% 3pt FG shooting compared to its  22.22% 3pt shooting  in G1! 

Again , FEU had more attempts from the field but had very poor FG shooting (31% 2pt FG/10% 3pt FG)! While FEU won the first quarter (1Q) in G1, Ateneo  started strong and outplayed FEU  in the 1Q of G2  although its shooting percentage went down in the second period mainly due to the low percentage shots they took from the perimeter resulting to FEU outscoring Ateneo 18-12. Ateneo then poured it on in the 3rdQ where they outscored FEU , 22-9 , to make up for the scoring slack in the 2Q  . It was in the 3Q that Ateneo  scored from outside and inside while they silenced  the big guns of FEU resulting to their scoring run thus improving their FG percentages! FEU shot definitely better from the stripe in G2 at 90% vs  Ateneo’s 74%  but Ateneo was given more FTs which gave them plus 5 FT points from FEU’s plus 5 Pfouls!

Perhaps learning from their rebounding debacle in G1, FEU out rebounded Ateneo in G2 on plus 15 offensive rebounds and plus 10 in total rebounds! However, just like in G1, Ateneo dominated the defensive boards on plus 5 advantage! While FEU had a plus 15 in offensive rebounds , the fact that Ateneo had a better shooting percentage may  indicate there was less need for offensive rebounds since they were making their  shots  anyway! That was also the story in G1 ! Conversely , again, Ateneo’s  gang rebounding strategy gave them the advantage in defensive rebounds ; thus, limiting FEU on their second chance points , a vital key in FEU’s game! FEU players , as shown in Romeo’s G2 disappointing 7 points ,  just weren’t making their shots ; and,  worse , had a hard time grabbing back missed shots!

While both teams played more controlled basketball in G2 ,  Ateneo  was plus 1 in G2 total TOs indicating again a  chaotic offense early in the 2Q but then again FEU committed more TOs in the second half when Ateneo started to break away! Probably learning from their 1Q sloppy performance in G1, Ateneo played better team ball in G2 by dishing out plus 6 in total assists mostly in the second half starting with their 3Q methodical breakaway!  Again, Ateneo’s game improved as the game progressed while FEU’s just collapsed big time !

This time , however ,Coach Norman’ made sure there will be no FEU pick & roll nor pick & pop advantage !

Note that what hurt FEU most in G1 was the plus 17 BIG points for Ateneo in FTs made! In G2 , FEU made sure history won’t repeat itself , so it only gave up plus 7 in FTs to Ateneo this time  and more importantly   shot a high 90% FT shooting! In contrast to G1  , FEU was only plus 5 in PFs vs  the plus 9 for G1.

Lessons ?

To win a championship : Shoot better. Grab those rebounds. Play much better defensively but limit  fouls! Play 40 minutes of perfect TEAM basketball !  

Next year , perhaps?

In the meantime, let Ateneo enjoy that sweet taste of a 4-Peat!