La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao young star. Tristan Tamayo’s photo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – Kevin Quiambao refuses to have another bad game against the defending champions University of the Philippines, stepping up when what matters most to La Salle is a much-needed 82-80 win to boost his chances. qualified for the Finals in the UAAP 85 Men’s Basketball Season.
La Salle’s rookie got off to a slow start when he was held to a two-point draw at half-time on Sunday night in front of 13,092 passionate spectators at the Mall of Asia Arena.
It reminds Quiambao of him debut of nervous sunbaes when he missed his first 10 shots and finished with just 5 points in a 72-69 loss to UP on October 1st last year.
“Bumalik ‘yung memory ng first game na parang rookie nervous russia. Quiambao, who finished the game with 18 points and 9 rebounds, said: “Sabi ko sa sarili ko, hindi pwedeng mangyari uli ‘yun.
(My anxious memory of the first game came back. And then I said to myself, that can’t happen again.)
Determined to bounce back from a poor performance in the first round, 21-year-old practitioner Gilas Pilipinas brought the Green Archers back from a 12-point shortfall in the third inning.
Quiambao scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth inning, showing spirit of steel as he successfully made two crucial free throws with just 11.3 seconds left to help them win.
“We know that UP played well in the third quarter. And even when they took the lead, we still followed the coach’s system and worked as a team. We regroup on Tuesday and Wednesday. We are very lucky to have this win against the defending champion,” Quiambao said in Filipino.
STOP CARL
Kevin Quiambao defends Carl Tamayo. Tristan Tamayo’s photo/INQUIRER.net
La Salle’s coach, Derrick Pumaren, admitted that the 6-foot-4 player played out of sync in the first half but he was pleased with how his young ace continued to play until he found an opportunity. union to prevail in the fourth inning.
Quiambao also took responsibility for stopping the star turned former high school teammate Carl Tamayo.
“Not only attack, but also defend. He accepted the challenge, he knew that Tamayo was going to control the game and he himself said, ‘I’ll take care of him this fourth quarter,'” Pumaren said.
The former standout Nazareth School player was delighted to come up against the Fighting Maroons and lift the Green Archers to an improved 5-6 record tied with the Adamson Falcons in fourth.
But Quiambao said they can’t celebrate too much as they need to shift focus to Wednesday’s game against National University No 2, drawing lessons from the first round. when they defeated Ateneo but absorb the string failed.
“We are very happy to beat the defending champion. But as the coach said, the job isn’t over yet,” Quiambao said in Filipino. “We don’t want to make the same mistake of winning against Ateneo in the first round and losing the next. We still have shortcomings that need to be improved.”
“I am pleased with what my team performed today. It is a collective effort. But we have to carry on for the next game because it’s a tight race in the Final Four,” he added.
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