Racela’s simple math does trick in beating UST

Adamson University head coach Nash Racela knew that beating a rampaging University of Santo Tomas (UST) would require a well-thought-out gameplan and a collective team effort.

Racela crunched the numbers as he plotted his approach in the Falcons’ last assignment in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament first round.

And some simple math did the trick.

The Falcons turned to their strength in defense to tame the usually high-scoring Tigers, 69-59, in a shocking upset Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Actually, going to the game, when you look at the averages, defensively, we limit teams to the low 60s,” said Racela, whose squad held their first six opponents to an average of 63 points per game.

“UST, offensively, they average 92 points.”

Looking at both the Tigers and his team’s averages, Racela came up with the right formula, which if executed to the tee, would be a foolproof way to solve the UST puzzle.

“I said, how can we give ourselves a chance? Two things need to happen. Of course, we increased our output from 60 because our points are low,” said Racela, whose team’s average output was at 61.6 points per game in six starts.  

“We increased it (scoring output). At the same time, we lowered their output. That’s where we’ll meet in the middle. Hopefully, we’ll have a chance,” he added.

The result was overwhelming even for Racela’s expectations.

Adamson made UST bleed for its points and even shackled its opponent to just nine points in the second quarter to build its biggest lead at 13 at halftime.

Although the Tigers trimmed their deficit to five, the Falcons were quick to respond and brought their separation back to double figures on their way to a second straight win for a 4-3 win-loss record.

“But, today was kind of different because, well, exceptional. Because that’s a minus 30 against a powerhouse UST. From an average of 92, we limited them to 59 today. Minus 33. Is my math right? Minus 33,” he said.

Adamson’s win pulled the Tigers down to a 5-2 slate in second spot.

“So, yeah. I don’t want to take away what our players did. But, I guess they deserve credit because they really focused today. Their effort was there. They deserve to win today,” Racela said.