Ben Mbala proved to be the main hurdle that helped deny Ateneo de Manila an eliminations sweep in the UAAP.
Mbala scored 28 points on 10/20 shooting, while also contributing nineteen rebounds, six steals, and six blocks, as the expected to be two-time Most Valuable Player helped La Salle escape with a 79-76 victory.
With the defending champions struggling on offense, the Cameroon international buckled down to work, scoring thirteen of La Salle's twenty points in the second quarter, ensuring that the Green Archers remain within striking distance against the Blue Eagles.
He would then join forces with Prince Rivero to anchor the comeback in the final period, doing work on both ends on the floor as they completed a comeback, highlighted by his defensive stop against Isaac Go with ten seconds remaining.
When he was asked about that defensive sequence, Ben shares, "Coach told me to never quit on defense, to just always be there and try your best to give him the hardest shot he can have, and that's what I tried my best to do. He told me to stay composed and not overdo everything. I was trying to jump straight up and that's the only thing I was able to do, because if I foul him, that would have been two easy free throws.”
Ben adds, "We just wanted to win. We didn't quit. Coach told us, never give up,"
Thanks to his feat, he was bestown the final Player of the Week nod, presented by Chooks-to-Go and the UAAP Press Corps. Ben beat out Paul Desiderio, Steve Akomo, and Arvin Tolentino for the weekly individual award.
La Salle secured a sweep of the second round to finish with a 12-2 record in the eliminations, securing the second seed and booked themselves a matchup against Adamson in the Final Four this Saturday.
With the road ahead to their title defense, Ben plans "to play hard and leave the rest to God."
Mbala scored 28 points on 10/20 shooting, while also contributing nineteen rebounds, six steals, and six blocks, as the expected to be two-time Most Valuable Player helped La Salle escape with a 79-76 victory.
With the defending champions struggling on offense, the Cameroon international buckled down to work, scoring thirteen of La Salle's twenty points in the second quarter, ensuring that the Green Archers remain within striking distance against the Blue Eagles.
He would then join forces with Prince Rivero to anchor the comeback in the final period, doing work on both ends on the floor as they completed a comeback, highlighted by his defensive stop against Isaac Go with ten seconds remaining.
When he was asked about that defensive sequence, Ben shares, "Coach told me to never quit on defense, to just always be there and try your best to give him the hardest shot he can have, and that's what I tried my best to do. He told me to stay composed and not overdo everything. I was trying to jump straight up and that's the only thing I was able to do, because if I foul him, that would have been two easy free throws.”
Ben adds, "We just wanted to win. We didn't quit. Coach told us, never give up,"
Thanks to his feat, he was bestown the final Player of the Week nod, presented by Chooks-to-Go and the UAAP Press Corps. Ben beat out Paul Desiderio, Steve Akomo, and Arvin Tolentino for the weekly individual award.
La Salle secured a sweep of the second round to finish with a 12-2 record in the eliminations, securing the second seed and booked themselves a matchup against Adamson in the Final Four this Saturday.
With the road ahead to their title defense, Ben plans "to play hard and leave the rest to God."
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