Ange Kouame felt inspired in Game Two of the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball Finals and it showed in his performance.
The Season 84 MVP dazzled with an all-around display of 19 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals.
Most importantly, he was able to tow Ateneo de Manila University to the 65-55 win over rival University of the Philippines and stretch the Finals series to a do-or-die Game Three.
But Kouame was not in the mood to talk about himself and his performance because for him, the Blue Eagles took the win thanks to multiple players stepping up – not just him.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the whole team so what I really want to talk about is the performance of the whole team,” said the 6-foot-11 big man of Ateneo.
“It really makes me feel in the right position to be able to be with them and see they really want as much as I want to so it’s a team effort.”
Of course, usual suspect Forthsky Padrigao was there to lead Ateneo with 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals.
But what proved to be one of the game-changers was Kai Ballungay, who went scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting in Game One.
He went ballistic and scored 15 points on an efficient 7-of-10 clip from the field to go with five rebounds, a steal, and a block.
Also adding to the cause were Geo Chiu and Matthew Daves, both also non-factors in the previous game in which the Fighting Maroons won, 72-66.
Both big men chipped in six points apiece.
“The bench, si Geo stepping up, si Kai Ballungay stepping up, even Sean Quitevis,” Kouame on what he wanted to talk about except himself.
Quitevis, a seldom-used winger, got the majority of BJ Andrade’s playing time after the latter got into foul trouble.
He was a plus-three in the 17 minutes he played while also showing solid defense on the guard rotation of UP.
“BJ Andrade got in foul trouble and I just wanted to assure him that we got his back,” shared Quitevis.
