Everyone expected De La Salle University to dominate University of the Philippines. Everyone expected Ben Mbala to run roughshod on the Fighting Maroons.
Those expectations were met early in the game as the 6-foot-7 Cameroonian student-athlete had already scored 16 points in the first quarter alone, spiked by four triples.
However, the Fighting Maroons did not panic, staying composed amid the mayhem.
And as the dust settled, it was UP that came out on top, 98-87, wasting Mbala’s 34-point, 12-rebound outing.
“I gotta keep in mind that it doesn’t feel good to lose,” admitted the 22-year-old.
“But you have to look at the bright side of losing. It’s gonna make us work harder and want it more than anybody else.”
Mbala commended the way the Fighting Maroons were able to adjust on the defensive end after his huge first quarter explosion. And he could not say the same for the Green Archers as they allowed their opponents to knock down 16 triples — a UAAP record.
“They were able to see that I could hit the threes. They made good adjustments on defense and that’s what we were unable to do,” the Cameroonian shared, “Winning and losing is part of life—it’s part of being an athlete and the game of basketball. Unluckily, we were on the other side.
“We lost today and UP really had a good game. We had to give it to them.”
“I’d say UP hit the shots. You know, they played a really good one-on-one game. Everytime they had a mismatch on the isolation they were able to convert it to a three-point shot. That’s how they were able to kill us during the game,” furthered Mbala.
But as a seasoned athlete, Mbala knows that a loss like this will just inspire the Green Archers to be fiercer and better versions of themselves come the next game.
By Danine Cruz
