Reeling from a 77-68 loss to De La Salle University that snapped their five-game streak, it came as no surprise that emotions were high as University of the East looked to rebound against a struggling National University side on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
While the Red Warriors maintained control throughout the contest, a tense confrontation arose between teammates Precious Momowei and John Abate at the 3:22 mark in the second quarter of their second-round encounter against the Bulldogs.
It turned out that this confrontation was the much-needed push UE needed as they fended off NU with a second-half surge to eke out a 74-58 win, remaining solo third in the standings with a 6-3 record.
Momowei downplayed the altercation, explaining that he only intended to lift Abate up after he committed crucial miscues on two possessions to close the first half.
“Honestly, it’s nothing serious. I was trying to bring him up. I was trying to make him focus on the game. It’s all love and nothing serious,” the Nigerian center shared.
As “two competitive and intense people,” Abate acknowledged that Momowei’s actions had no ill intent and should be seen in a positive light, stating that holding each other accountable is vital in the Red Warriors’ Final Four push.
Accountability in the first half indeed paid dividends, as UE utilized a dominant 25-11 third-quarter performance to not only send NU down to its eighth loss, but also replicate their 57-51 first-round mastery over NU.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“That’s my brother. We’re gonna fight; that’s what siblings do. We’re two competitive and intense people. We just ultimately want to win. At first, we had a little stumble; I turned the ball over, I got subbed out,” the Orange Park High School product bared.
“In the third quarter, we came back stronger for the victory. He made a big play, I made a big play, and then we made up for it,” he went on.
“I love it because if you have someone that’s holding you accountable, it’s iron sharpens iron. It’s gonna make you better and make him better.”
While Momowei’s skills have been a vital factor in the Red Warriors’ Season 87 campaign, head coach Jack Santiago applauded Momowei’s efforts to hold his teammates accountable whenever someone makes a mistake or does not live up to their true skill and standard.
His on-court and off-court efforts allowed the 22-year-old center to lift UE to its sixth win in nine outings, recording 17 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.
“Honestly, I’m so grateful kay Precious kasi not only in actual games but even in practice, talagang siya yung nagca-call ng attention sa mga teammates niya na he thinks na hindi nagpe-perform,” Santiago revealed.
He added, “Alam niyo naman ngayon may mga players tayo na tamad din. Ako, very happy ako that Precious is doing his job talking to those players.”
Similar to Abate’s sentiments, Santiago bared that the altercation would serve as a much-needed wake-up call for his Red Warriors to continue the extra push in training in hopes of snapping their 15-year Final Four drought.
UE last made the Final Four when they came up short against Ateneo de Manila University in their Cinderella run toward the championship in UAAP Season 72 in 2009.
“Yung nangyari kanina, siguro it’s a wakeup call to us na talagang kailangan magtrabaho. Even yung mga NBA teams naman nagkakaroon din ng ganyan, but in the end, nagbe-benefit pa rin ang team,” Santiago concluded.
“Medyo pangit tignan since we are on national television, but down the stretch, it helps the team eh. You saw the changes that happened in the second half. Talagang everybody wants to play.”
#WATCH: John Abate downplays his scuffle with Precious Momowei during UE’s match against NU 🏀
📹 @JustinValencia_ /Tiebreaker Times#UAAPSeason87 pic.twitter.com/2C5z1zlKBF
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) October 26, 2024
