Move ahead of Carl Tamayo against Ateneo in the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena. UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Carl Tamayo made up for his key mistakes with late-game heroic counter-attacks as the defending champion University of the Philippines survived back to Ateneo in extra time in the tournament. UAAP Season 85 men’s basket on Sunday.
Tamayo overcame a JD Cagulangan pass and also missed a couple of free throws in the final seconds of regulation but redeemed in extra time, where he scored six points, including three in two minutes. final.
“I think Nangyari ‘yun talaga sa laro, nagkakamali. Pero I think ‘yung trust namin sa isa’t isa na, okay lang’ yan, may tsansa pa tayong manalo, depensa tayo. Wala namang nagsisihan noon. I think the next siguro ‘yung plays well,” said Tamayo, who finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block, after the Fighting Maroons’ 76-71 win in front of 12,106 fans at Mall of Asia Arena.
(Mistakes happen in games. But the important thing is that it’s okay because we trust each other. We don’t blame each other. We just need to make up for it in the next play by defending. It just happens at the crucial moment.)
“Kasi parte naman sa laro ‘yun. Pwede mangyari ng first quarter, third quarter ‘yun. Pero nagkataon lang na noong important time. Tao lang tayo, nagkakamali rin. Pero I think ‘yung good thing doon, hindi kami bumitaw and nakuha pa namin’ yung panalo. “
(That’s part of the game. We’re only human, we make mistakes. But the good thing is we didn’t give up and we still won.)
Cagulangan praised Tamayo for continuing to be locked in the game despite his failure.
“For me, Carl created a great response. His reaction when we committed the revenue, he said we will make up for the next game,” said the point guard back from a hamstring injury in the Philippines. “And his reaction had a huge impact on me to make up for our error with a defensive stop.”
The 21-year-old Tamayo also credits his teammates for keeping faith in him, especially during difficult times.
“I am not asking for the ball. My teammates kept finding me because I thought I was motivated in the fourth and extra time. Not just me, I think if Zavier plays well that time, we’ll look for Zavier or someone else,” the Philippines’ top rookie said last season. “I thank my teammates for their trust. They really try to give me the ball because they know I’ve got the momentum.”
“I struggled in the first half because I couldn’t shoot the ball. But I feel that they want me to keep shooting and not lose your confidence. That pushed me to the second half, that I could do it for my team,” he added.
After reasserting their mastery against eventual rivals Ateneo, Tamayo hopes UP will continue to get better as the season goes on.
“Hopefully, we continue to work and play as a team. We are really glad that we overcame the challenge we went through today. We didn’t give up,” Tamayo said.
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