Defending champions De La Salle University Green Archers entered Game Two carrying the heaviest burden of extending the finals series against the machine that is the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles.
With a huge chip on their shoulders, the Green Archers started off on the wrong foot, opening the first quarter with a terrible 21-7 run. Further down the first half, La Salle found themselves in a 21-point deficit.
But as two-time Most Valuable Player Ben Mbala said, the Green Archers are not here to lose. They regrouped, tightened their defense, and started sinking their shots.
“We stuck together. We saw some of our players down, struggling, but we didn’t give up. We kept playing D, we kept pushing. Coach [Aldin Ayo] kept on telling us to keep playing, to keep believing,” he said, referring to their resurgence, which started with a little more than two minutes left in the second quarter.
That resurgence was sparked by a thunderous alley-oop jam by none other than the high-flying Cameroonian.
The MVP doing work! #UAAPSeason80Finals pic.twitter.com/9tWfpW8ItK
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“After that dunk, I felt like everything went smoothly. Everything started going well for us.”
True enough, after that dunk, La Salle went on a 8-0 run to chop off the Ateneo’s lead to just nine by the end of the first half, 51-42. Come the second half, La Salle sustained their momentum, with Mbala snagging the lead with 2:11 left in the third frame. The Green Archers never looked back, taking a 92-83 triumph and sending the series to a winner-take-all tilt.
And to think that just four days ago, Mbala wound up with his worst performance tallying only eight points.
Wednesday evening, the 6-foot-7 center came on with full on swag and showed how to have a great time. He tallied 20 points complemented by 16 rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
“Something I always have to remind myself is, at the end of the day, it’s a game. It’s a game we have to enjoy.
“I feel like the past game, I wasn’t enjoying, I was too tense, I wanted to overdo everything. I had to like, sit down, inhale, exhale, and relax,” the Cameroon national team standout shared.
Minutes before the tip-off, he was awarded his second MVP plum, and afterwards expressed that his monster game was just his way of giving back.
“I love my team, I love my teammates, I love the Philippines, I love the fans and I enjoy the game. People are nice to me here, and I’m turning back the favor by giving my everything out there during every single game.”
Now that La Salle have rekindled their chances of keeping the trophy at Taft, expect Mbala and the Green Archers to give it their all on Sunday.
“It’s not like we’re gonna go out there, and be like, ‘Oh, we won the game, I got the MVP, that’s it’,” he said.
“No, we go here to be champions, that’s what we all work for. We’re gonna come out to try to grab that trophy.”
