Finding his rhythm late in UAAP Season 88, Jolo Manansala was key to the NU Bulldogs’ comeback win over the UE Red Warriors.
The NU Bulldogs needed to dig deep as they fought back from 18 points down in the third quarter to emerge victorious over the UE Red Warriors, 83-74, in their penultimate match of the elimination round in UAAP Season 88 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
NU, now assured of a twice-to-beat advantage with their 11-2 slate, had to recover well in the second half after Tope Lagat and Dylan Despi rose to the occasion for the winless Red Warriors.
Among those that stepped up to the plate was Manansala. The veteran player scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half — including nine points in the third quarter where the Bulldogs first turned things around with an overall 20-4 run.
[READ: UAAP: NU claws back, frustrates UE for twice-to-beat advantage]
But after the match, Manansala said that they’ll need to work on the kinks — especially when it comes to scouting — if they want to avoid a repeat of their challenges against UST, and in the more important matches in the semifinals.
“Siguro mas kailangan namin mag-focus dun sa mga part namin, sa mga role namin kagaya ng scouting namin. Dapat talagang inaaral namin kasi 'yun naman 'yung gagawin ng kalaban eh. Gagawin namin next practice yung mga ganong bagay and sa next games,” he said.
He finished with 21 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting. He also had three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and three blocks. He was also a whopping +25 in efficiency.
Credit deflected
But it wasn’t like Manansala to hog all the credit, especially after other players, like Omar John, Paul Francisco, and Jake Figueroa had to keep the boat steady in the first half.
Even as UE sizzled with confidence, the Bulldogs kept themselves within striking distance and poised themselves for the second half comeback. John had a near double-double by the end of the first two quarters as he rallied the Bulldogs.
“Siguro kahit papano, nagppeak naman kasi ayun, thankful ako sa mga teammates ko at saka sa coaches ko kasi andoon padin yung tiwala eh. Di ko naman magagawa yung ganyang stats kung di dahil sa kanila,” Manansala said.
“Kumbaga ako yung nag-iinit so tiwala lang every time na pinapasa nila sakin yung bola and ayun, ginawa ko naman yung part ko.”
Figueroa had 14 points, seven boards, three assists, and two steals to be Manansala’s biggest supporting cast while John had 14 points, 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks.
Lagat paced UE in the loss which sent them reeling to 19 straight defeats with 17 points, two rebounds, one steal.
Momowei, for his part, had 14 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and a block in the losing effort.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.