After an emotionally charged rivalry game, Kieffer Alas only has the next game ahead on his mind.
The 6-foot-2 rookie has undoubtedly been through a lot during his stint with the Ateneo men’s basketball team so far. But on Wednesday, Alas got a first-hand feel for the intensity of arguably the greatest collegiate rivalry in the country.
Unfortunately for Alas, his introduction to the historic rivalry was spoiled as the Green Archers tied the all-time series at 50 wins apiece.
“I can’t say it’s a good experience ‘cause we lost, but learning for us, so hopefully we can just bawi,” Alas said.
Alas went cold in Ateneo’s 83-76 loss to La Salle on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The 20-year-old from Las Piñas shot just 2-of-11 from the field and 1-for-7 from beyond the arc, finishing with five points and six rebounds.
Despite his struggles, Alas said he remains confident and hopes the Blue Eagles can quickly move past the loss and focus on what lies ahead.
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“I mean, you can’t be too low after a loss. I mean, this was definitely, for us, a winnable game,” he shared.
“But we just didn’t stick through it, so I guess bawi kami next game, hopefully.”
Adding to the significance of the Blue Eagles’ first-round matchup against De La Salle University was the occasion of the 100th meeting between the two teams.
In a heated moment in the second half, Alas was seen riling up the already-agitated DLSU side, though his demeanor after the game showed that there was nothing personal behind the exchange.
“Big crowd naman. I mean everyone has pride for their alma mater eh, so nothing personal. We just hope to do better in our upcoming games next time around,” he added.
While Alas had a stellar outing in the clutch during Ateneo’s last win against National University on Saturday, his showing against the archrivals proved to be the first roadblock in his young career.
Alas, however, remains adamant about taking things one game at a time as Ateneo looks toward its next game against Far Eastern University on Saturday.
“Let’s see, we’re taking it one game at a time, so we’re not really talking about it right now. We’re just focused on FEU on Saturday.”
