Del Rosario holds key to NU quest

MANILA, Philippines - Hardly a factor in National U’s loss in the opener, forward Troy Rosario dished out a sterling make-up performance in leading the Bulldogs to a series-tying 62-47 demolition of Far Eastern U in Wednesday’s Game Two.

Rosario, who suffered cramps and was barely felt in the stretch of their 70-75 setback in Game One, rebounded with 19 points and 14 big rebounds – nine off the offensive glass – in the masterful rout that put NU into good position to end a 60-year title drought on Wednesday’s winner-take-all.

“Gusto ko lang makatulong sa team, ito ang pinakaimportanteng game para sa amin (I just wanted to help my team in the most important game),” said Rosario, the season’s Most Improved Player.

“Kung pwede nga lang lahat ng 50-50 balls, kukunin ko kasi alam natin last game nawala ako nung second half so na-down yung team kasi alam ko may naitulong sana ako sa defense o offense (I was going for every 50-50 ball because I wanted to bounce back from last game. I felt I let the team down and couldn’t contribute on defense and offense).”

Aware of the problem that hounded him last game, Rosario said he made the conscious effort to pace himself. “Wag masyado gigil kasi nung Game One, parang gigil na gigil ako (I was too overeager in Game One so I remedied that in Game Two).”

Before pivotal Game Two, Rosario got a 10-minute one-on-one session with former King Bulldog and PBA MVP Danny Ildefonso after NU’s practice.

“Nagbigay siya ng pointers at tinuruan niya ako about shot selection. Sabi niya wag ako magfocus sa outside shooting kasi sa laki ko parang mismatch lagi sa loob (He gave me pointers especially about shot selection. He told me to concentrate more on the inside and take advantage of my height to create a mismatch),” Rosario said. – Olmin Leyba