Ni Ernest Hernandez

PINATUNAYAN ni Ben Mbala ng De La Salle University ang katatagan na nagbigay sa kanya ng Most Valuable Player sa UAAP Season 50 men’s basketballl .

Kinaldag niya ang Blue Eagles sa natipong 20 puntos, 16 rebounds, taytong steals at apat na blocks.

Matapos maka-abante sa Ateneo Blue Eagles, nakatuon ang pansin ni Mbala sa Game 3 ng serye ngayon sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.

'Pikon daw?' UAAP fan na nag-dirty finger, agaw-eksena sa San Juan Arena!

“Coming to Game 3, we’re not coming here to lose a game. Everyone wants to be champions,” sambit ni Mbala.

“We’re not gonna come out there and be like, ‘ohh we won the game, I got the MVP that’s it,’ no. We came here to be champions that’s what we’re gonna work for. We’re gonna come out here and try to grab that trophy,” aniya.

Iginiit ni Mbala na walang ‘underdog’ sa serye at ang mas gutom sa titulo ang mas magtatagumpay sa serye.

“When you play Ateneo, there are no underdogs; there’s no one having the upper hand. Anyone can blow you out anyone can play like the champions. When you go there, you have to give your everything. The crowd is crazy, and everyone wants to win it. Everyone is diving for the ball, and it’s crazy, but you still have to find a way to stay focused and do what you have to do,” pahayag ni Mbala.

Ayon kay Mbala, ibang senaryo ang Game 3 at kailangan nilang maging focus kung nais nilang mapanatili ang korona sa Taft.

“Not much-added emotion or pressure heading into game 3, it’s a game that we have to win, it’s the finals, and we all know it’s Ateneo,” pahayag ni Mbala.

“We have to do our best and play the way we played today and start that way. Not the way we started today but start the way we were playing in the second and third quarter,” he ended.