COLLEGE of St. Benilde should toughen up or it would kiss goodbye its title hopes anew.
“A lot of guys are nervous. They look nervous. It’s part of being in the finals for the first time. I don’t think they have a lot to do. Maybe only (Mark) Sangco was playing a lot from our previous finals run,” Blazers coach Charles Tiu said after his side absorbed a 73-84 loss to the Mapua University Cardinals last Sunday in Game 1 of their best-of-3 finals duel for the 100th NCAA basketball tournament crown.
“All these guys are newbies in the finals. Even if you tell them, they’re still on a different level. So, we gotta find a way to do better,” he added.
But Tiu is not one to wave the white flag just yet.
“Well, that’s a good thing for us. It’s a series. It’s not done in one game. Hopefully, by the second game, we’ll be a bit more focused and go back to playing our game and hopefully, we won’t have any losses,” Tiu said.
“That’s the only thing we can do right now. We just have to prepare a bit better and try to win the game,” he added.
The Cardinals can end a long and agonizing 33-year title drought on Saturday, Dec. 7, also at the Big Dome.
A deciding third tiff, if necessary, will be played on Dec. 14 at the same venue.
