Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Ben Mbala settles down when La Salle needed it the most


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.

“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.

#ReadMore  Absence of K&K duo 'insurmountable' for NLEX, says Juami Tiongson

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.UAAP-80-DLSU-vs.-ADMU-G2-Mbala-1545 Ben Mbala settles down when La Salle needed it the most Basketball DLSU News UAAP  - philippine sports news

“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.”

Written By

Danine is a graduating Broadcast Communication student who writes about basketball and volleyball in between her classes. Initially just a sports fan mostly influenced by her fanatic dad, she eventually realized that she can make a career out of her passion after her amazing internship with Tiebreaker Times




You May Also Like

Basketball

De La Salle University erupted for a scorching third quarter to keep its unbeaten streak alive, while National University locked in the final UAAP...

AdU

La Salle kept its immaculate record intact in the PlayTime Cares 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile Adhesive, steamrolling Far Eastern...

Basketball

De La Salle University is doubling down on its trust in head coach Topex Robinson. Robinson has signed a fresh three-year extension that will...

Basketball

Jacob Cortez was having himself a game against National University last Wednesday in the Playtime Cares Filoil EcoOil 18th Preseason Cup. The transferee from...

AU

In a testy, physical showdown between UAAP rivals, La Salle held off a furious late rally from National University to stay unbeaten in the...

Basketball

Matthew Rubico is coming home. The 5-foot-11 point guard is returning to where it all began, transferring to Lyceum of the Philippines University to...

Basketball

A day after parting ways with National University, Nigerian center Collins Akowe has narrowed his choices for the next chapter of his young basketball...

Basketball

From Gilas Youth to La Salle Green Hills to the University of the Philippines, the trio of Seven Gagate, Joshua Coronel, and Luis Pablo...

Advertisement